Sheldon's movie night has ended prematurely. He is not happy right now.

Sheldon kept his eyes facing forward as he waited for Penny to return from escorting Ms. Hawthorn to her apartment. This was all her fault! If she had not insisted on him asking a companion to that atrocious …spectacle then he would not now be in dire need of a shower! He saw Penny approaching from his peripheral vision and stiffened angrily.

Penny slipped back into the driver's seat and started the car. It didn't take him long to realize they were not heading to his apartment. He glanced at her, too upset to ask where they were going. He saw Penny flick a glance his way and he turned away. They traveled in silence for almost fifteen minutes. Penny pulled onto a gravel road near the outskirts of town and drove toward the pond. She parked near the small gazebo and got out. Sheldon crossed his arms and glared even harder as she walked over and took a seat under the structure. After five minutes he got out and stomped over.

"I would like to return to my apartment. This entire endeavor has been a disaster and the sooner I can retire for the night, the sooner this night ends."

Penny sighed and placed her elbows on her knees, her hands dangling down. "Sandy has two separate and opposite personalities. It's the result of almost three decades of abuse. First her mom, who I suspect was bipolar, and later her husband. For the most part she is sweet and gentle. But when she flips, she's extremely sexually aggressive. This morning her brother called her. Her mom is in the hospital, dying. It brought on her other side."

Penny ran a hand through her hair wearily. "I had hoped we were beyond this. It's her first switch in almost a year."

Sheldon frowned with confusion and moved up the steps into the gazebo. "What about doctor-patient confidentiality?"

Penny smiled sadly. "She asked me to explain to you. She is upset and embarrassed by what happened. She is a very fragile woman, Sheldon. She is worried she may have hurt you emotionally."

Sheldon sighed and sat down beside Penny, leaving an inch of space between them. "I apologize for being angry," he mumbled. "It was too much." He looked at Penny sadly. "I will never be free of this, will I?"

Penny silently held out her hand. Sheldon stared at it for only a second before slipping his into her grasp. "No, you won't," she said gently. "But, you can learn to manage it. I have great confidence in that. Your phobias are part of who you are, Sheldon. But they are not the sum total of you. Everyone has fears and quirks. We just learn how to deal with them. To not let them rule our lives."

He looked at her steadily, even though his heart was racing. "Even you? Do you manage your fears?"

Penny looked out over the view in front of them. "Some days I do fairly well." She leaned back against the bench and exhaled. "Some days, not so good."

They sat in silence for a long time, each occupied with their own thoughts.

XTBBTX

Missy pulled around behind the building and got out. She both loved and hated coming here. The people inside were so warm and caring, and they always went to great lengths to make her feel accepted and welcome. But she hated that they could see through her so easily.

The very first time she made a delivery here, Bernadette had taken one look at her and seen her past. She had felt like it was emblazoned on her forehead for the world to see. Penny assured her that it was simply that Bernadette had years of experience recognizing abuse and that it was not so obvious to the world.

And yet, she had met so many wonderful people here! Amy, who was in charge of housekeeping, was perpetually cheerful and always had a pocket full of Werther's candies. Zack, the guard-slash-caretaker, was a big bear of a man who you could often find sitting in the garden, hummingbirds resting on his hand. The women who lived here were special, too. There was Alice, who was trying to get back on her feet after her ex tried to beat her to death with a tire iron. There was Maggie, who had spent 4 years in prison for killing her husband after he beat her so badly she lost her left eye.

Then there was little Priya. 14 years old, and already she had seen too much violence. She had been arrested for pick-pocketing at the bus station. The judge had taken pity on her and sent her here. Technically, she was the ward of Bernadette and her husband Stuart, but she pretty much lived at the shelter. It was the only place she felt safe.

The back door opened and Stuart stepped out with a weary smile. Missy opened her trunk and they began to carry in the pastry boxes. "Is everything okay?" she asked worriedly. "You look bushed."

Stuart shrugged and looked around to make sure they were alone. "We had a new woman come in on Tuesday. She was scared and desperate, with good reason. On Thursday her brother tracked her here. He showed up and tried to drag her out." Stuart looked at Missy sadly. "He's the Mayor's aide. He has a lot of pull in the city."

Missy gasped and clenched her hands. "What are you going to do?"

Bernadette walked up and leaned against her husband's shoulder for a second. "We have to find her a safe house. Somewhere her brother can't find her."

"Can you?" Missy asked. "Is there any place he can't track?"

Stuart and Bernadette exchanged worried looks. "The problem is," Stuart said softly, "we receive government subsidies. That means our records are open to the Mayor's office upon formal request."

Missy felt her heart plummet. Was this going to be one of those cases that was just hopeless? She wanted to curl into a corner and cry for this woman.

XTBBTX

"Hello, Missy. How was your day?"

She bit her lip nervously and sat down on the couch. Tonight was the weekly HALO session with Howard and Leonard. It was also Pizza night, and she had joined the three men ever since she first arrived.

"Actually, Shelly, I wanted to talk to you about something." She looked at the other two as well. "And if my idea isn't going to work, I'm going to need some help coming up with another idea." The three men sat and gave her their full attention. "There's a woman at the shelter who needs a place to stay. To hide out, I mean. Her brother is some big shot political guy and he already tried to forcibly take her from the shelter once. The couple who runs it say there's a good chance he will try to use his power in the city to force her back home so he can treat her like a slave some more."

Leonard leaned forward, his expression steady and honest. "What can we do?"

Missy looked at Sheldon pleadingly. "I want to ask Meemaw if she can come stay in Galveston. She can sleep in the spare room upstairs. Meemaw lives way out in the country. It wouldn't seem weird cause Meemaw used to take on boarders before. And then Meemaw wouldn't be so alone, either." She bit her lip nervously. "What do you think?"

Sheldon understood why Missy had asked him first. It was his objections that had made Meemaw stop taking in boarders in the first place. He hated the idea of strangers living in the house he loved. Who knows what they would touch of his? His first thought was to offer to put the woman up in a hotel. Somewhere he would never visit, and would therefore not run into her germs. Then he looked at Missy. He really, truly, looked at his sister.

There was a need in her eyes that even he recognized. She didn't just want to help this woman, she absolutely needed to. This was very important to Missy, and it was the first real drive he had seen from his sister since she showed up on his doorstep.

He sighed heavily and pulled out his phone. "I'll call Meemaw now and make the arrangements on this end. You will have to deal with the woman, though," he said sternly. "I want no part of her life, Missy. I don't want to meet her, or speak to her. I don't even want to know her name. I am doing this for you and you alone. Understand?"

Missy jumped up from the couch and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered. She couldn't hold back the tears as she thought about his words. He had once again stepped way outside his comfort zone for her. How could she have ever doubted what a wonderful brother he was? He continually surprised her with his support and understanding. She was one damn lucky gal!

XTBBTX

Bo fidgeted for a couple of minutes before he sighed and looked at her. "I'm having the dreams again," he whispered in an agonized tone. He wrung his hands nervously. "This one was really bad, Penny." Bo jumped up and began pacing. "I could smell the smoke. I could hear the screams. It was so real, I was terrified I was back there."

Penny studied him carefully, concern written across her face. "It's been a long time since you had the dreams."

He nodded and turned around to face her. "I'm afraid, Penny. What if it all starts back up again?"

Penny stood and walked over to him. "Bo, you went through hell in Iraq. But you made it out. You survived. You are too strong to let this destroy you now. What has happened recently? What started this up again?"

Bo reached into his back pocket and pulled out a letter. "Marcus. He was one of the soldiers I traveled with," he said softly. "His sister wrote me. She found him last week. Overdose."

Penny reached out and pulled Bo into a hug. He folded his arms around her and sobbed heartbrokenly. She remembered how broken he had been when he was first referred to her. Bo had been a shell of a man. He barely slept, he barely ate, and he was living in a homeless shelter because he couldn't hold down a job. It had taken over two years of bi-weekly sessions to get him stable. He had come too far to fall apart now.