Penny is very confused by the man she thought she knew, but now realizes had hidden depths no one knew about. She knew how to handle the childish genius she lived across from in Pasadena. She now is confronted with the very male, very desirable, grown up Sheldon.

Penny snapped the suitcase shut and pulled on her jacket. Melody should be there soon to pick her up. Another 5 days at sea was just what she needed to figure out what she wanted to do. She walked down the stairs quietly, always careful not to wake Meemaw so early. She stepped out onto the porch, and breathed in the crisp early morning air. The barest light was just starting to peek over the horizon when the little blue Fiat pulled up. Penny smiled at her fellow bartender and buckled up.

"Ready for another week of horny trophy wives and lecherous old men?"

Penny laughed. "Cynic." Melody laughed and off they went.

Penny waved at a few of the bar-maids and engineers as she made her way to her little cabin. She opened the door and stepped inside. And then froze. Sitting on the small table was a beautiful red box. Roses? Who would put roses in her cabin? Penny set her suitcase on the bed and reached for the box. It was cold to the touch. She untied the ribbon and pulled off the top.

"Wow," she said softly. She looked at the chocolate covered strawberries and apple slices inside.

"Do you like them?"

Penny spun to find Sheldon standing in the door. "You got these for me?"

He nodded and stepped inside. "I know how much you like golden delicious apples."

Penny reached into the box and selected one. She took a bite and smiled. "Delicious. Thank you, Sheldon. I love this."

He smiled shyly and raised his hand. He wiped a drop of juice from the corner of her mouth. He was gratified to see her eyes darken. He hid a smile by kissing her forehead. "I need to go finish unpacking. I'll see you this afternoon."

Penny's jaw dropped. "Unpacking?"

Sheldon nodded. "I'm a passenger. Did you really think I was going to pass up the chance to spend the week with you?" He slipped from the cabin before she could think of a reply. Once in the hall he licked the juice from his finger. He smiled. "Delicious."

Sheldon sat down on a deck chair under an umbrella where he could see Penny. She was pouring a tray of bright blue drinks. At one end of the bar stood two men in swim trunks who kept flirting with Penny. The only reason he was able to control his temper was because Penny wasn't responding to them. She was polite and she smiled, but she didn't encourage them. Movement to his left drew his attention.

"Hey there, cutie." He took in the over bleached hair, the artificial breasts, the stick thin limbs and the heavy make-up.

"Hello." He turned back in Penny's direction, glancing at his watch to see how much longer she would be working.

"My name is Veronica. What's yours?" she asked with a flirty smile.

Sheldon was raised to be a gentleman, so ignoring the woman was impossible. But he found it hard to be polite. "Sheldon. Let me be honest, ma'am, I am not interested in getting to know you. I am here to spent time with only one person. She is the most beautiful woman in the world, and compared to her, everyone else seems bland and uninteresting."

The woman followed his gaze to the small poolside bar. She shrugged and stood up. "You're loss, honey. I would have rocked your world."

Sheldon watched Penny wipe down the bar top. "She already does."

Penny changed out of her bartending uniform quickly. If the last two days had taught her anything, it was that Sheldon would knock on her door exactly twenty minutes after her shift ended. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top. She was just pulling her hair up into a high pony tail when he knocked.

Penny opened the door and he smiled down at her. Penny stepped back and he slipped inside. She turned and bent to grab her sneakers. When she raised back up, Sheldon bent and pressed his lips to hers. Penny gasped as he moved a hand to her nape. Heat spread through her as he pulled back.

Penny searched his face for some sort of clue to what he was thinking. "Sheldon, I don't …," Penny placed a hand on her forehead. "I can't figure you out. How can you do this? Hold my hand, kiss me, you were naked in the shower with me, for heaven's sake! You hate being touched by anybody!"

Sheldon sat down on the chair and tugged Penny over to sit on his lap. "Penny, you are not just anybody. You are the woman I love. What kind of man would I be if I could not touch or be touched by the most important person in the world to me?"

Penny shivered as one hand slid under the hem of her shirt to rest on the skin of her lower back. It had been a long time since she felt this strong of a reaction to anyone. Her skin tingled under his fingers. Penny blushed when her nipples hardened right in front of Sheldon's face. She watched his eyes darken, and felt his body harden beneath her bottom. Penny licked her lips nervously.

"Sheldon?" Her voice was full of desire and confusion.

He sighed and held her loosely. "Penny, I want you. But you don't trust me yet. You don't believe I love you. I don't want you to think I am only after your body. I'm not going to be satisfied with anything less than everything. I want your body, mind and spirit. I want you to love me like I love you."

Penny placed a hand on Sheldon's cheek. "I do believe you, Sheldon. That's not the problem. The problem is that I'm not good enough," she said timidly. "I have nothing to offer you. I'm not smart. I don't understand half the things you say. I have failed at pretty much everything I ever attempted. Sheldon, you are a genius. You have the respect of every other scientist in the world. What do I bring into this? All I have is my body."

Sheldon's eyes flashed angrily. "Are you fucking insane?!"

Penny looked stunned at his outburst. "Sheldon! You cussed at me!"

He glared. "I oughta turn you over my knees," he said, the twang in his voice prominent. "What the hell did Leonard and all those meat headed idiots do to you, Penny?! You are not just a body!" Sheldon's voice turned tender. "Don't you have any idea how special you are? Penny, you are so much more than simple flesh. You are kind, generous, and compassionate. I don't care if you understand science. I do. You understand life. I don't. We fill in each other's holes, Penny. Your strengths fill in my weaknesses and vice versa."

Sheldon kissed her cheek and leaned his head on her shoulder. "You are not just a body, Penny. You have never been just a body. You are joy, and light, and love." They were both silent for several minutes. Sheldon's cheek grew wet where it rested against Penny's jaw. He looked up and saw tears sliding from beneath her lashes. He looked at her worriedly. Had he said something wrong? "Penny?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Oh, sweetie! No one has ever said anything so beautiful to me," she said tenderly. She threw her arms around him and sobbed into his neck. Sheldon rubbed her back and tried to comfort her the only way he knew how.

"There, there. Sheldon's here," he mumbled. Penny laughed lightly and drew back.

Sheldon smiled with relief. He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away her tears. "I meant all of it, Penny. I look at you and I see someone wonderful and unique. Someone who I have never been able to decipher, categorize, or understand. Penny, if anyone else had annoyed or confused me as much as you do, I would have cut them out of my life. I can't do that with you. And you are the same. How often have I angered you, yet you never abandoned me?"

Penny could see the truth of what he was saying. She and Sheldon had always had a weird kind of relationship. They sparked each other's tempers, but yet, when the chips were down, was there anyone else she could trust or rely on like him? Was there anything she wouldn't do for him?

Penny relaxed against his chest and sighed. "I'm still worried, Sheldon. But there is no one in the world I trust more than you."

He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Just give us a chance, Penny."