Sheldon woke up cold and alone. He looked around the room, but Penny was not there. He stood and gathered clothes for the day. He was in the shower when he recalled waking up around 5am and found Penny laying almost on top of him. He blushed as he remembered the feel of her pelvis pressing against his erection.

What am I doing? he asked himself. She has no interest in men. Even if she did, she would have no interest in me. He showered, shaved and dressed quickly. He needed to find Penny and make sure she wasn't over working herself. When he stepped from the bathroom, Charlie was leaning against the wall. He looked at Sheldon for a second and then pointed toward Sheldon's room. They both walked inside and Charlie shut the door.

"Penny says you're a genius. She also says you're the most naive man she's ever known. So, I'm gonna just lay it out for you." Charlie crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "I lied last night. Pen has had serious boyfriends in the past. She's dated a lot of people, male and female, only serious or intimate with a few. Three women and two men. She's bi-sexual, always has been. Growing up I played big brother a lot. Anyone not 100% hetero in our small town was bullied. Your buddy Leonard is a sleaze. He's gonna try to get in her pants, and I am not convinced he won't resort to taking advantage of her heartbreak to do it."

Sheldon fidgeted uncomfortably. He had thought the same thing last night.

Charlie nodded as he saw the acknowledgement in Sheldon's eyes. "I know you love her. It's not hard to see when I've seen it before. Penny is …complicated. She lives in a dream world most of the time. She has such a strong creative side that it's hard for her to stay grounded in reality. When she's working, she gets caught up in it. You saw her last night. It's not just the need to make money. She invests so much of herself in her creations, she sometimes has a hard time separating herself from it. The next few days are gonna be rough. She's run around like a mad woman making sure everything is perfect and it's gonna catch up to her soon. I have a baby coming, and I can't stay to help her. I want your word that you won't let her over do it. That you'll watch over her. Make sure she's eating, sleeping. That sort of thing. She's not just my friend. She's my sister, and I need to know that she's got someone she can rely on."

Sheldon nodded immediately. "Of course. Penny is my friend." He blushed and looked down at the floor. "Yes, I suspect I am beginning to love her. I also know she only sees me as a friend. I am content to leave it at that. I will take care of her."

Charlie wanted to hug the guy, he felt so bad for him. Instead, he just nodded and moved away from the door. "Good. Now, come help me keep her from tossing someone out a window when they wrinkle a skirt."

Sheldon's eyes widened for a moment before he realized Charlie was joking. Mostly joking.

Penny was ready to fling Leonard out the window. He had been underfoot from the moment he walked into the apartment. Anya was moving from one rack to the next, double checking the lists to make sure every costume was accounted for. Raj and Bernadette were a huge help, folding and bagging accessories. She took each bag and placed them in the appropriate boxes. Howard wasn't much use with that, since he tended to just shove the stuff into the bag regardless of wrinkled scarves or ties, so she had given him the labels and he was writing destinations on the bags as they went. Penny had never been so happy to see Sheldon as she was that morning. She was a bit worried he would act awkwardly toward her since she woke up in his bed, one leg thrown over him and her thigh pressing on his penis. Luckily he was still asleep and she had managed to slip away.

Sheldon and Charlie walked in together and looked around at the mess. Sheldon eyed Leonard closely and stepped closer to Penny. "Leonard, why don't you take Howard and go get breakfast for everyone. I, myself, will have a cinnamon roll and peppermint tea. Penny likes bear claws and coffee with cream and sugar. The others can give you their own requests."

Sheldon reached out and took the labels from Howard and shooed him out of the way. He glanced around the room quickly and moved around Penny to look over the items left to be organized. Soon it resembled an assembly line in 4B. Bernadette would fold and gather the accessories, Raj would bag them, Sheldon would label them, Penny would box them, and Charlie would move all completed outfits to rolling racks labeled with their various destinations.

They took a break when Leonard and Howard returned, but managed to finish an hour before program directors began arriving for pick ups. As soon as the last rack was out the door, Penny collapsed on the armchair. Bernadette and Howard offered to grab lunch and Raj agreed to run Charlie to the airport. His plane didn't leave for a couple of hours, but he and Raj had become fast friends and they decided to run by Raj's lab first so he could show Charlie his work. Penny hugged him and told him to call as soon as the baby came. Finally it was just her, Sheldon and Leonard.

"So, umm, sorry about you and Amy," Leonard said softly.

Penny shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, me too. Just wasn't meant to be I guess."

Sheldon watched Penny closely, seeing the way she cringed a bit. Leonard scooted to the end of the couch and placed his hand on Penny's arm. "I'm here if you want to talk."

Penny nodded and stood up. She walked into the kitchen and put on a kettle of water for tea. "We just weren't connecting, I guess. We wanted different things. She wants adventure and fun. I want steady and reliable. So, when she met April, she decided to go for it. At least she told me before she actually slept with the new girl. Last relationship, I found my girlfriend in bed with some girl she met at a club."

"It's too bad," Leonard said with only a trace of satisfaction. "So, Charlie said you dated a few guys before."

Penny froze for a second before nodding. "Yep. A couple. Nice enough guys, but they were more friends than anything. That's how I met Stuart, actually."

Sheldon gaped at her. "You dated Stuart?"

Penny laughed. "No. I dated Chris Hardwick for a while. His best friend is Wil Wheaton and Wil introduced me to Stuart when I was looking for a suitable head piece for a costume."

Sheldon frowned. "Wil Wheaton?" His voice was a low growl, making Penny turn to stare at him.

"Will Wheaton is #6 on Sheldon's list of all time enemies," Leonard explained.

"Wil Wheaton cheated me during a tournament of Mystic Warlords of Ka'a," Sheldon growled

Penny stared at Sheldon for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "Oh, please! Can I tell him that? Sheldon, you have to let me tell him that!"

Sheldon tried to glare, but he was too caught up in her laughter. "Why would you want to?"

Penny walked over and sat back down. "Oh the look on his face when he finds out the smartest man in the world considers him an enemy. And not just any enemy. Sixth. Not first, not greatest. Sixth!" Penny wrapped her arms around her waist as she chuckled loudly. "Oh that's gonna put a HUGE dent in his ego!"

Sheldon couldn't stop the small smile on his face as he watched her laugh until tears streaked down her cheeks. She really was a most unusual woman!