Let's review. Sheldon loves Penny. Penny fears she isn't good enough for him. He is in Pasadena trying to prepare for a very important presentation. She is in Galveston trying to rebuild her life.

Penny sat poolside and watched the stars in the sky. Out here on the water, away from the city lights, it was easier to see them. She sipped her water and sighed.

"Penny for your thoughts."

She rolled her eyes and looked over at her friends Melody and Fran. "That never gets old."

Fran reached over and snatched one of Penny's melon balls. "Wanna talk about it?"

Penny shrugged. "Not really. But I'm not getting anywhere by myself." She sipped her water and leaned back. "I care about Sheldon. He has been my friend for a long time. However, I don't have a good track record with relationships. What happens to our friendship if this goes wrong? I will lose the best friend I have ever had. Sheldon is a genius. He'll win a Nobel someday. I'm just a bartender. He'll get bored of me eventually, won't he? He says we fill in each other's weak spots."

"Do you love him?" Fran asked gently.

Penny nibbled on her bottom lip. "I think I could if I wasn't so scared."

Melody tucked her legs up underneath her and looked at Penny carefully. "What's really holding you back?"

Penny closed her eyes and fought the tears trying to form. "What if I hurt him?" she whispered.

Fran snagged the last couple of melon balls. She looked at Penny steadily. "What if you make him happy?"

Penny stepped through the terminal uneasily. Her nerves were frazzled and her stomach was churning. She shifted her overnight bag on her shoulder and looked around. She had asked Sheldon to let Amy pick her up alone. He had questioned her a lot about that, but she had insisted. He had finally agreed on the condition that she let him stay with her at the hotel. She barely had time to look around the lounge before she heard a loud cry of "BESTIE!" and found herself enveloped in a tight hug.

She smiled softly and looked at the neurobiologist. "Well, I guess that answers one question," Penny said.

Amy looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Penny lead her over to some plastic chairs. "Well, I asked Sheldon to have you come get me because I wanted to make sure you didn't hate me."

Amy shook her head and smiled. "No. I'll be honest, I was very mad at first. And very hurt. But not anymore." Amy blushed. "I'm dating Zack Johnson, now. He's sweet, and affectionate. And he rocks my world in bed."

Penny gawked at her for a moment. "You and Zack? Aren't you afraid you will get bored? I mean, Zack is a nice guy, but he's not really intelligent, Amy."

Amy shook her head. "So? He's not book smart. But he's kind. He listens to me. He tries, you know? He makes an effort to make me happy. I had a bad day at work last week and he cooked me a special meal, and held me while I complained. It doesn't matter if he understands my work, because he understands me."

Penny slowly stood up and pulled Amy up with her. She wrapped Amy in a big hug and smiled. "Thank you, Ames. You just helped me out a great deal."

Amy frowned. "I did?"

Penny nodded. "Come on. I want to check into the hotel so we can go see the others."

Howard watched Sheldon fidget by the window with a smile. Bernadette and Raj were putting the finishing touches on the meal and Lucy and Zack were setting the table. He walked over and looked out to the street.

"Amy said they were on their way, Sheldon. Why don't you sit down and relax for a few minutes? You're wound a bit tight," Howard suggested.

Sheldon shook his head. "This is disturbing to me, Howard. It's only been 6 days. How is it possible that I feel so anxious? Is this what it was like when you were separated from Bernadette?"

"Yeah. I missed her so much, I practically attacked her the moment we were together again. But on the plus side, she felt the same. She missed me as much as I missed her."

"That just raises another question. What if Penny did not miss me?"

"Then at least you know where you stand, Sheldon."

Blue eyes widened as Amy's car pulled up beside the building. "That isn't very comforting."

Bernadette joined them. "No, but it's honest."

Sheldon turned and walked into the living room area. He faced the door and waited, hopeful, but worried. The door opened and Amy walked in. Penny stepped in behind her and looked at Sheldon. A second later, she was in his arms, kissing him hungrily.

Howard slipped an arm around Bernadette. "I guess he has his answer."

Sheldon watched her chat with Bernadette and Amy. She was telling them about her job, and asking them what they had been up to. She had missed him. She had kissed him deeply, without hesitation, or embarrassment. She held his hand most of the evening. He was hopeful that it meant she was overcoming her fears. He turned back to Raj and went over some of their points for the presentation.

Sheldon looked up a little bit later to find Penny standing behind the couch. "Sheldon, I'm ready to head back to the hotel. Do you want to ride with Amy, Zack and I or will you have Raj and Lucy drop you off?"

Sheldon immediately said his own goodbyes, and followed Penny out the door. The drive to the hotel was filled with Amy chatting about her latest experiments. Sheldon stared at his hand in Penny's. She had threaded her fingers into his the moment they climbed into the backseat. Penny rarely initiated contact between them since the day by the pond. Yet, tonight, she often touched his hand or arm. She had kissed him on two separate occasions. With all this extra stimuli he was beginning to wonder how difficult it was going to be sleeping beside her and keeping his hands to himself.

Penny said goodnight to Amy and Zack and then led the way to the elevators. Once inside, Sheldon dropped the overnight bag he had brought with him and pulled her to him. He couldn't resist kissing her softly. Penny sighed and laid her head on his chest.

"I missed you," he said gently.

Penny smiled and relaxed against him. "I missed you, too, Sheldon."

The elevator doors opened and she led the way to room 418. They stepped inside and Penny grabbed her overnight bag. "I'll just change right fast and we can get to bed."

Sheldon laid out his own pajamas and his clothes for the next day. He looked at the queen size bed and groaned. His mind imagined her spread out over it and his body immediately reacted. The bathroom door opened and he grabbed his flannels and held them in front of him. He looked at Penny and gasped. The pajamas fell to the floor from nerveless fingers. Penny grinned and walked further into the room.

His eyes roamed over her. Her hair was loose about her shoulders. Her breasts were completely visible through the sheer nightie that hugged her generous curves. The hem stopped just above the tiny lace panties she barely wore. Silk stockings encased her legs, topped with lacy garters. Peek-a-boo heels with a satin bow completed the look. Sheldon felt light headed as all the blood in his body was redirected to his groin.

Penny smirked and walked slowly across the room. "I did a lot of thinking this week, Sheldon. I thought about what you meant to me, and all the years we've known each other. I thought about the way you are with me, the way you make me feel. Do you want to know what I decided?"

Dumbly, Sheldon nodded, certain that whatever she was saying was important, but having a difficult time remembering why. Penny stopped 12 inches away. Close enough that he could touch her if he could remember how to move his arms, but far enough away that he could still see every inch of her.

"I decided that I was an idiot," Penny said softly. "Here I have the most wonderful guy in the world offering to love me completely and honestly, and I was resisting because I didn't trust me. I'm not perfect, Sheldon. I'm not smart and I don't understand your work, but I do understand you. I'm going to annoy you, and you'll aggravate me. But you make me happier than I have ever been before. I want to do that for you. I want to make you happy. I want to be with you."

Sheldon focused on Penny's words and reached out to cup her cheek. "Penny, do you mean that?"

She closed the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Sheldon."

He couldn't resist anymore. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down and covered her body with his. His eyes flashed like azure flames. "Penny, you better be absolutely sure, because this is the point of no return. If we take this next step, I'm never letting you go. Please, darling, be sure."

Penny smiled and pulled his lips down to hers. "I love you, Sheldon Lee Cooper. I'm absolutely sure of that."

Sheldon growled hungrily and pressed her into the mattress. He never did make it into those pajamas.