They waved until their parents were through the door and heading to their plane. Then Sheldon grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out of the airport. They walked across the parking lot quickly and got to Penny's car. Sheldon pressed her against the driver's door and kissed her deeply. Penny wrapped her arms around his waist tight and returned his kisses. Someone nearby giggled and they broke apart guiltily. Sheldon took a deep breath and stepped back.

"Penny, we still need to talk," he reminded her gently.

She sighed and nodded. "I know. Let's go home and get this over with."

He frowned as he walked around the car. "You make it sound as if you are going to an interrogation."

Penny smirked. "It's you, Shel. I am going into an interrogation."

They got into the car and fought their way back into traffic. On the ride home they kept things light. They talked about the visit, and work. All too soon they were back on Los Robles. Penny parked in the lot and they headed inside.

"How about I order us a pizza?" Penny asked as they walked up to the second floor. "Charlie's at work and won't be home until midnight."

Sheldon reached out and touched her cheek lightly. "That would be acceptable."

They reached Penny's floor and froze. Leonard was just coming down the stairs and smiled at them widely. "Hey, guys. I was just coming down to see if you were back yet. I was going to see if you two wanted to go out and eat with me, Howard and Raj."

His frustration must have shown, because Penny took his hand and squeezed it gently. "Thanks for asking, Leonard, but Sheldon and I had already decided on pizza and some tv."

Leonard grinned even wider, and tilted his head slightly. "Oh, well that sounds good too. I'll let the others know." He started to turn back to the stairs. Penny had reached her limit though. She was tired of trying to be gentle. Leonard wasn't taking the hints she kept putting out.

"I said 'Sheldon and I'," Penny repeated. "No one else was invited."

Leonard shot a cross look at Sheldon before smiling at Penny again. "Oh, yeah, I guess you two want to talk about stuff since you'll practically be brother and sister soon, huh?"

Penny turned to Sheldon. He knew that look. She was asking him what he wanted to do. How many times growing up had she turned to him for advice? He knew what he wanted. This wasn't his decision to make. He wanted her to want others to know. He wanted her to openly acknowledge they were in a relationship. He squeezed her hand lightly, patiently waiting on her to make a decision.

Penny looked away and headed to her apartment, Sheldon in tow. She opened the door and he stepped inside. "Bye, Leonard," she said before closing the door.

Sheldon moved into the kitchen and began making tea. Penny nibbled her bottom lip as she watched him. "Are you upset?" she finally asked.

"Yes," he said calmly. "But there is little I can do about it."

Penny sighed and took a seat at the counter. "Shel, Leonard will give up eventually. It's just a silly crush."

He turned and looked at her with surprise. "I am not upset about Leonard's infantile desires! I am upset with you!"

Penny's jaw dropped. "Me? What did I do?"

Sheldon walked around the counter and pulled Penny into his arms. He kissed her hard, and she molded her body to his. A moment later he put some space between them. "That! That is why I am upset, Penny. You and I have slept together. We are in a relationship. Yet you hide it from everyone. You expect me to be content with just sneaking around!"

Penny jerked out of his arms and glared. "We are NOT in a relationship, Shel. Yes, we've had sex. Mind blowing, phenomenal sex. But we are not a couple! If anything, we're friends with benefits. I don't do relationships. Ever!"

"Why?" he demanded loudly. "What is so wrong about being in a relationship with me?"

Tears formed in her eyes, making her vision blurry. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Everything," she said softly. "This is all I have to offer, Shel. I want you. You want me. I can be your friend, and I can be your lover. I don't have anything else."

Pain lanced through him. It felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Sheldon longed to pull her into his arms and kiss her until everything else faded away. Instead he walked over to the door. "I can't be just a casual fling," he told her. "I won't settle for just scratching an itch, Penelope." He opened the door and walked out. He shut it softly behind him and headed up the stairs.

Penny stood there for a long time, her mind and body numb. Once again she had fucked up. Once again, she had offered Sheldon what she could and been rejected. It wasn't good enough for him. She wasn't good enough for him.

The kettle started to whistle, so she walked over and turned off the burner. Then she walked to the bathroom and stripped off her clothes. She turned on the water and stepped under the scalding spray. She lathered up her hair and a sob escaped her lips. She leaned against the shower wall and slid to the floor.

When Charlie came home, that's where he found her, icy water beating down on her freezing skin.

Sheldon looked up from his whiteboard when he heard the loud knocking. He considered ignoring it, but the thought that maybe it was Penny made him walk over. He opened the door and pain exploded over him. He hit the floor and tasted blood. Charlie stepped inside and slammed the door shut.

Sheldon cradled his jaw with one hand and scrambled backwards away from the incensed man looming over him. With a sigh he got to his feet. "This is none of your business," he said.

Charlie grabbed Sheldon's shirts and dragged him closer. "What the hell did you do to her?!"

Sheldon cringed slightly. "It's none of your business," he repeated louder. "It is between Penny and myself."

Charlie shoved him hard, sending him halfway across the room. "You made it my business when you left her practically comatose!" the larger man yelled.

Sheldon froze. "What?" he asked softly. "What are you talking about?"

Charlie sneered and clenched his fists. "Don't act innocent! I had to pick her up out of the shower, dry her off, dress her and put her to bed. I don't even think she knew I was there!" Charlie stepped forward, his fists ready to pummel the smaller man. "So I'm only going to say it once more. What did you do to her?"

Sheldon moved quickly. He rushed past the irate man and flew down the steps. He could hear Charlie following quickly. He burst into Penny's apartment and hurried back to her bedroom. Penny was asleep on the bed. Sheldon walked over and sat down beside her. Her face was still a bit puffy from crying and her skin was still a little cool to the touch. He drew the blanket up and tucked it around her. He bent and placed a light kiss to her forehead and rose. He headed back out of the room, brushing by Charlie. Sheldon didn't pause, but walked straight back out into the hall. Charlie followed him.

"We argued," Sheldon said. "I wanted her to be open about us being together. She didn't want to. She said she could be my friend and lover, but that we were not a couple. We had no relationship. I told her that wasn't good enough for me." He looked at Charlie sorrowfully. "I love her. I just want her to give us a chance. I want her to not be ashamed of being with me."

Charlie sighed and leaned back against the wall. "For a genius, you're not too bright," he said. "Penny does love you. She's always loved you. It's herself she doesn't like."

Sheldon looked confused, so he tried to explain it. "She's spent most of her life thinking she wasn't good enough, Cooper. Her mom didn't want her. Her dad, as great as he is, worked all the time. Until you, she was all alone. Name 5 of her friends from school. You can't. Because she didn't have any. She had you, her dad, and your family. Then you left for school and all she had was her dad when he wasn't working or your family for the occasional holiday. When you came back, things went wrong. She felt like it was her fault. That what she felt was wrong or disgusting. She's carried that feeling ever since. She thinks how she feels is wrong. That it's always wrong. She wasn't lying. Sex is all she has ever had to offer, because she doesn't know how to offer anything else."

"I broke her, didn't I?" he asked in an anguished voice. "All those years ago, I broke her spirit without even realizing it."

Charlie shook his head. "She's not broken. She's just …lost. If you really do love her, then help her. You're a genius, right? You teach at that school. Well, teach her. Show her that what she feels isn't so wrong. Show her that it's okay to love. Because I don't think anyone else has a shot at it. No one else has ever mattered to her as much as you do."

Sheldon thought about what he was saying and nodded. "I'll find a way to fix this. I have to."

Charlie pushed off the wall and nodded. "But first, let's get some ice on that jaw. It's already starting to swell." He led the way to the kitchen and they sat at the counter and planned while Sheldon iced down his jaw.