Back in apartment 4A, those left behind to await the outcome of Sheldon's "reasonable conversation" were getting nervous.
"He's been over there a long time," Claudia said worriedly. "Do you think he's dead?"
"Well, the fact that there's no screaming is a good sign," Pete offered.
"Maybe we should go check on him. I think we should go check," Myka said as she paced around the room. She caught herself biting her nails and quickly balled her hands into fists.
"Hey, I think no news is good news, but I'll go if you want me to," said Pete.
"No, we're partners; we should go together. Just do me a favor and take off the huge shoes of yours. You sound like an elephant when you're trying to sneak up on people," Myka griped.
Pete rolled his eyes, pulled off the offending loafers, and said, "There, you happy now?"
"Quite," Myka grinned victoriously. "I'll lead."
"You always want to lead," Pete grumbled, but he let her go first. They crept across the hallway and eased open Penny's door.
"I think I heard a noise," Myka whispered almost soundlessly, motioning toward the bedroom. She crept forward, with Pete following close behind. Then she stopped so suddenly that Pete almost ran into her. She whirled around quickly, and Pete grabbed her arms to keep her from knocking them both over.
"What? What did you see?" he asked, craning his neck to see around her. The bedroom was separated from the living room by a pair of glass-paned French doors, giving Pete a clear view of what was going on inside. He stared for a few moments longer than was truly necessary to determine what was going on. Then he cleared his throat and looked back at Myka.
"I guess he doesn't need our help after all. Looks like he's doing just fine on his own," he said in a low tone, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Myka smacked him on the arm. "Will you let go of me? We need to get out of here."
Pete glanced down in surprise and saw that he was still holding Myka. He dropped his hands quickly. "Sorry," he muttered. They crept back across the hall, although it appeared that Sheldon and Penny were so absorbed in each other they would hardly notice if the building tumbled down around them. Back in Sheldon's apartment, Claudia, Howard and Raj were anxiously awaiting them.
"So what's going on over there?" Claudia burst out impatiently.
Pete grinned. "Let's just say you're still too young to go see for yourself."
She grimaced. "What does that mean? Is she eating his liver or..." She broke off upon seeing Myka run a hand through her hair and look away, embarrassed, while Pete grinned gleefully.
"Oh. O-o-oh. So my guess about true love was right after all."
"True love? Wait, there must be some mistake," Howard protested. "You don't know Sheldon like we do. I mean, if Summer Glau paraded around naked in front of him, all he would do would be to call her a hussy and tell her to put on some clothes."
Raj nodded emphatically and cupped his hands to whisper in Howard's ear.
"That's right; Sheldon never showed the slightest interest in Penny. It was Leonard who's been eating his heart out over her for almost three years... well, except for when he was with Leslie Winkle."
More whispering from Raj. "Yeah, but those were just one-night stands. They didn't mean anything," Howard replied. "But Sheldon? He insults Penny, and..."
Raj leaned over again.
"Sure, he insults all of us, but that's hardly the point."
Raj shook his head, frowning. "Laundry!" he blurted, gasping with the effort it took him to manage that single word in front of two strange women.
"Laundry night? Just because Penny stays in on a Saturday night to do laundry with Sheldon... and sits in his spot, and touches his food, and sings to him when he's sick, and makes spaghetti with cut-up hot dogs..."
He trailed off, a dawning look of comprehension on his face. Raj whispered in his ear once more, and he nodded and said, "Yeah, that too. How come we never saw it before?"
The two friends stared at each other, maintaining eye contact long enough to make the agents start to feel uncomfortable. Then Howard looked away and scoffed. "Oh, come on! This is bat-crap crazy Sheldon we're talking about!"
Just then, there was a soft rap on the door, and it swung open to reveal Penny and Sheldon. No one missed their slightly disheveled appearance or the fact that they were holding hands.
"Hi! I guess we were never really introduced. I'm Penny. I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me," she said, making eye contact and smiling at each of the agents in turn.
"You're welcome, but your... uh... friend Sheldon was the one who saved you. We just neutralized the artifact that was affecting you," Pete said with an easy grin.
"I know," Penny replied. "He's my hero." She exchanged a look with Sheldon that was so loving and intimate that more than one occupant of the room glanced away.
"I don't really remember anything before Sheldon rescued me, but... where's Leonard?" Penny asked, scanning the faces in the room. There was an awkward pause in which everyone seemed to have a hard time meeting her gaze.
"He was killed attempting to aid you," Sheldon finally said.
Penny let out a little cry and clapped her hand over her mouth. "This is all my fault, isn't it? What are we going to do? Am I going to jail? What am I going to tell the university... or his parents?"
She buried her face in Sheldon's shoulder and began to sob. He wrapped his arms around her and looked completely nonplussed.
Myka stepped over to the weeping young woman. "None of this is your fault. How can it be when you don't even remember what happened? You ran afoul of an artifact. You're lucky to be alive."
Penny raised her tear-streaked face and nodded slowly, still tightly clutching Sheldon's shirt.
"We have clean-up crews," Claudia spoke up suddenly. Myka and Pete looked at her in surprise.
"What? You think I don't know about them?" she muttered defensively. "Please. Your passwords are laughably easy to hack... not that I do that sort of thing anymore. I was just testing the Warehouse security network, and I found some stuff that looked interesting."
"She's right about the clean-up crews," Pete said. "The fewer people who know about artifacts, the better. So they'll come in, make up some cover story for what happened to your friend, and make sure no strange stories leak out. That includes the two of you," he added, turning to direct a stern glare at Howard and Raj. "If any of you start talking about what you've experienced over the past few days, people will start to think you're crazy. Trust me; I know. I can't even tell my own family exactly what it is that I do."
"Have you concluded your investigation, then? Is Penny safe?" Sheldon asked.
Claudia stepped forward with a large boxy device in her hands. Aiming it at Penny, she watched the displays for several seconds. "There's just the tiniest bit of residual energy left, but that should dissipate soon. Doctor Claudia is ready to give you a clean bill of health."
Pete looked hard at Penny and Sheldon. "Are you sure?"
Claudia sighed. "I built this baby myself. I can either spend the next three hours trying to explain to you how it works, which we both know will be a complete bust, or you can just trust me."
Pete smiled at her. "I do trust you, Claud. You're a full-fledged agent now, and I know you've got my back. I just have this hunch…" He trailed off as he met Penny's eyes, and then his face cleared. "I have this feeling that you two are gonna have a bunch of kids together."
"Children?" Sheldon asked in a strangled voice.
Pete winked at him. "Good luck. I've learned not to ignore my hunches."
The agents packed up their equipment and left soon after that. Howard and Raj did as well, feeling distinctly like a pair of third wheels.
When they were alone, Sheldon turned to Penny. "So how does this work?" he asked.
"Like any other relationship, I guess… one day at a time," she answered, shrugging.
Frustrated, he spoke aloud the only name he knew to call her other self. "Freya."
She whirled around, eyes blazing. "Do not presume to use that name, mortal."
Sheldon backed up a step, hating that he'd had to summon her alter ego. From his conversation with her earlier and her actions now, he surmised that she still felt vulnerable with the warehouse agents still nearby. That meant he would have to tread carefully.
"I would never betray you because I believe that would harm Penny. I just needed a way to communicate with you when necessary. I assure you, I do not intend to make a habit of it."
Her eyebrows rose as she studied him. "Your lover's full name is Penelope, although she hated being called that. If you wish to speak to me, you may use that name."
He nodded his agreement. "Very well. I am still unclear on the parameters of this arrangement. What I really need to know is when Penny will be herself, and when will she be… you."
Her lips curled in amusement. "Perhaps this is a question you should have asked before you sealed our bargain."
"I am aware of that," he said softly. "I cannot imagine how I committed such an oversight. I suppose my concern for Penny superseded my rational thought processes. That has never happened before," he mused.
"You were never in love before," she countered.
He opened his mouth to argue with her and then closed it again, looking confused.
"You will be good for each other," she said kindly. "Just remember that the sacrifice you made for her today will not be the last time you will need to set aside your own desires for her benefit. She will do the same for you. That is how love works."
She blinked, and suddenly, it was Penny, his Penny, looking at him.