A little while after Leonard had gone, Penny stood up and gently closed the door. It suddenly felt very quiet. She hoped someday, that he would realize what she had. They just weren't right together. He'd tried too hard to please her and she knew, she didn't always see his true feelings. Which meant something was missing. Something vital, that would have made them equals. At times, he'd been so deprecating, she had found it unattractive. At other times, he'd shown no faith in her. But it hadn't been all bad. Leonard was a lovely, generous man and when everything was balanced between them, he'd made a good boyfriend. Yet, this issue always returned to blight them and she found herself holding back. It continued this way, for far too long. He is a clever guy, on some level he must have known.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she picking up the pen once more and set to work. It took over an hour to complete, there were a lot of questions. Initially, she felt hesitant but very soon the answers were pouring out. Sheldon was factual; he would see this as information only and that reassured her. There was no fragile ego, on the receiving end of her honest replies.
Oddly enough, it began to feel as if he were there. And they were discussing it together. She could picture him in a white lab coat with a clipboard, nodding politely, as she revealed her most secret desires. He would make the occasion note and gaze intently, as though he were at a lecture. Only, behind his eyes, a little fire flickered.
When the final question had been answered, she slipped the questionnaire into an envelope and sealed it shut. Tucking it tightly against her, she ventured over to the other apartment. The living room was buzzing with the sound of explosions and crashing, emanating from the TV. Howard and Bernadette were on the couch watching, while Raj and Amy buzzed around the kitchen.
"Hi guys."
"Hi," they all said in turn. Howard turned the sound down a little.
"Um, is Sheldon…?"
"Yes," said Bernadette, "… but he's talking to Leonard, in Leonard's bedroom."
"Oh…" she said, clutching the envelope tighter.
"They may be in there for days," Amy said, placing a set of plates on the counter.
"Days?"
"Yes, Sheldon has a compulsive need for closure," she said.
"Hmm… he does," she said, wondering if she should come back later.
"Do you want to stay for chocolate mousse?" Raj asked.
"Raj made it," Amy said excitedly, "It's divine!"
"It's my own recipe," he said, blushing at Amy's praise.
"Thanks guys," said Penny, "but I can't stay…"
"What's that?" Amy asked, spotting the envelope under Penny's arm.
"Something for Sheldon, b-but I can give it to him tomorrow."
"Is it your Relationship Agreement?" Raj asked, in an excited flurry.
"No, it's… something else. A legal thing, not important."
"I can give it to him, if you like," Bernadette said.
"Um, okay thanks," she said.
She would have loved to stay for the mousse, but it wasn't the right time. So she made her excuses and left. As soon as the door closed, she texted Sheldon, "Bernadette has the questionnaire. Get it from her asap and don't let anymore else read it!"
She sent another, as she crossed the hall, "Lock it up somewhere safe!"
Then one more, "Scratch that, memorize it and destroy it!"
"Understood," came his reply.
The following morning, Howard and Bernadette were up early, at their apartment. They were in the bedroom and Howard was quickly packing clothes into a case on the bed.
"Do you really have to go?" Bernadette asked.
"Yes, he's my friend and he needs me. I'm sorry," Howard said.
"I get that, I'm just going to miss you. A week is a long time."
"I know. I'll miss you too."
"I don't see why it's just you. Why isn't Raj going?"
"Well, you know Raj," he said, "He's thinks Sheldon and Penny are star-crossed lovers. He means well, but that's not what Leonard wants to hear right now."
"I suppose not."
"The hardest thing is, I hardly know what to tell him myself."
"I get that."
"Oh, and I'm not going to be the only one. Kripke has invited himself along on the final night. I have no idea why. He said something about Sheldon letting him down. That Leonard had to take over as wingman. I think I'll come home a day early and leave them to it."
"I'd like that, if you could," she said.
"Strange though, Sheldon is no wingman."
Bernadette shook her head, and smiled.
"It was always Leonard! He was the one who was good with the ladies. Not that he ever knew it."
"He probably needs reminding of that," said Bernadette.
"I'll do my best."
"It still baffles me, you know."
"What does?"
"Sheldon and Penny," he said, "I've known that human computer a long time, and he never struck me as a match for any woman. He got close with Amy but that's like saying the earth is close to the sun, at 150 million kilometers."
"I know, Amy and Sheldon have a relationship of the mind, they are still very close. I think they always will be," said Bernadette.
"I just don't get why Penny would go there. How can she think, that he is the one?"
"He's certainly proving to be."
"Really?"
"Well, from what I saw, Amy attempted to change Sheldon. Only subtly, but change him nevertheless. Things are now reversed. It's Sheldon who is changing Penny."
"Huh!" he said, looking confused.
"Haven't you noticed? She's hardly drinking, she's suddenly punctual and her outlook is almost …well, ambitious. This controlled existence he leads, has a positive effect on her. Even if she would never succumb to the most extreme of it."
"Well I'll be damned!"
"Could be the human computer is good for something after all," she said smiling.
"But what common ground do they have?"
"Very little, but for some inexplicable reason, they need each other."
"Like a virus needs a vaccine!" he sniggered.
"Oh Howie!"
"Sorry."
"The way I see it, Sheldon makes connections that Penny would never think of herself and she offers him exactly the same benefit. It works for them. Also, he will never change that much, so he will always need her."
"Well, those are the only connections she'll get," he said cheekily, "He's not the passionate type."
"No, I suppose he's not," she Bernadette.
Howard wrapped his arms around Bernadette's waist. "Well, speaking of passionate, I will definitely try to come back a day early. But I'd better be going now, my buddy is going to need all the support he can get."
She smiled. "You're a good friend, Mr. Howard Wolowitz," she said.
Later, that evening.
Knock, knock, knock "Penny."
Knock, knock, knock "Penny."
Knock, knock, knock "Penny."
As soon as the door flew open, Penny pounced; she threw her arms around his neck and planted a big kiss firmly on his lips. He was a little startled and wobbled back slightly.
"So it's time to sign at last!" she said, beaming happily.
"Um no…" he said, looking a little unsettled, "I'm afraid not."
"But why…?" she grumbled.
"Leonard has gone away. We can not sign, until he has returned. I must complete my final task."
"Sheldon no…" she said, "What did he say last night?"
"He said, that he required a period elsewhere, to 'get a handle on' things. We must wait."
Penny dropped her arms. "But another week?"
"Yes, he is my friend."
"I know… but I'm scared."
"Why?"
"I'm scared that I will lose you, that something will go wrong. That now I have finally found the missing piece to my life; it will be taken away from me. That you will be," she cried, flopping herself down on the couch.
"Where will I be taken too?" he said.
"I don't know… somewhere else."
"Can you describe it?"
"Sheldon! I mean… that you will change your mind."
"I rarely change my mind."
"You might."
He looked at her with an inquisitive expression. "Are we arguing? I predicted a 23.5% probability for conflict. Is this it?"
"No… I'm just feeling…" She looked up at him, "Stay here tonight, with me." She suddenly felt so small with his towering frame standing over her. "I suppose it's not allowed," she said, solemnly.
"It is allowed."
"Really?" she said, reaching up and pulling him down to a crouching position.
"During courtship, couples were encouraged to lie together to cement their bond. There would be a board placed between them, or the girls' legs would be bound together to prevent coitus. They were expected to converse and grow acquainted with each other."
"I'm not binding my legs," she said, "but I want you here."
He nodded.
"Okay, go and get changed into your pajamas and I'll get everything ready," she said.
"Very well." He left immediately.
Penny had been looking forward to signing the agreement, so she felt very disappointed. But having him lying next to her would make such a difference. She changed into her bed wear in a flash. Then pulled back the bed covers and looked around the room. There were no boards or anything similar immediately handy. So she grabbed a selection of Care Bears, and piled them down the centre of the bed.
"They're Care bears," she heard a voice say. He was standing at the door, with a smart pair of brown pajamas on.
"They will have to do."
"Hmmm… okay."
Penny pulled the covers up, over the Care Bear divider and Sheldon went for the light.
Click.
As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she slipped into the right side of the bed. She could hear him finding his way towards the left side. The bed moved as he climbed in and then there was silence. They both lay on their backs, staring up into the darkness.
"Sheldon?" she whispered.
"Yes?"
"You're back in my bed."
"Obviously, but why are we whispering?"
"I don't know. It just seems like the right thing to do."
"I agree," he said.
"Did you read my questionnaire?"
"Yes."
"Did you destroy it?"
"Yes, first it was shredded, then burnt and then submerged. No imprint can be recovered via forensics or reflected photography."
She laughed, "Fabulous job."
"Penny? …why do you own so many Care Bears?"
She let out a long sigh, "Well, I brought one, every time some loser let me down and I've been let down a lot. I suppose they are my 'broken heart' bears."
There was a pause.
"Why did you choose them to separate us?"
"Good question?"
"Undoubtedly."
"I don't know…," she thought, "I guess I do that. I let my past, separate me from people."
"Me too."
"Really?"
"When one is exceptionally advanced, there is little option except to separate oneself from lesser peers, but…"
"You never stopped doing it?"
"No," he said, so quietly she almost didn't hear.
"I'm going to get rid of them," she said adamantly.
"The Berlin bears must fall," he muttered.
"Huh?"
"We will have no wall between us."
"Won't we?"
He didn't reply.
"Sheldon, what are your expectations, once we've signed the agreement?" she asked.
"Once the courtship is complete, I will be permitted to possess you."
"Yes, you will be completely permitted," she said, smiling into the dark, "…but…?"
"I sense you are trying to ask me something, but I'm not sure what."
"Well, I know you have been following this courtship thing to the letter, but I would never pressure you to do anything that …you weren't ready for."
"Oh, but you must."
"What…?"
"When I embarked on my pursuit, I risked the friendship of my best friend, my living arrangements and terminated my current relationship. Don't you think I would have examined all possible angles?"
"But sweetie, you don't like germs. Or being touched that much."
"This is true, there are difficulties. I put my trust in pure intellect for so long, I never expected my biology to deceive me like this."
"Deceive you how?"
"It seems that, in spite of my aversions, it has chosen you as my mate."
"It?"
"The bestial aspect of my being."
"Sheldon, it's a part of you. It's a part of all of us."
"Well, we are only just becoming acquainted. This aspect and I. It was always there but never primary to my existence and never did it have an impetus towards another human being."
"When did that change?"
"It was the week before the symposium. I was up making French toast. You were making coffee for Leonard, but I was paying little attention to either of you."
"Oh yes, you were daydreaming over your toast."
"I was not daydreaming Penny! I was mulling over the detection of positrons at the International Space Station."
"Staring at toast?"
"Yes… no! I was envisioning the patterns, as dark matter and Leonard mentioned the Supersymmery symposium and I suddenly made a connection. Then… you knocked me…"
"Oh, I just brushed past you… and then you blamed me, because you burnt your toast! I remember!" she laughed.
"Well. it was then."
"What was?"
"The moment."
"That was the moment you realized you had a deal?"
"If you like. I was hypothesizing the possible values of magnetism's. One for the proton and one for the antiproton, the antimatter "twins" of electrons and you touched me."
"And you had a… physical feeling?"
"Yes, an earthly reaction to a magnetism equation. I felt a charge."
"Oh, that's kind of cute."
"Cute?"
"Yes, very cute."
"I did not find it cute in the slightest. I lost concentration, burnt my toast and the magnetism problem persisted. To top it off, I completely forgot my breakthrough. Me! Sheldon Cooper. I do not forget equations! It was the most disconcerting thing, that has ever happened to me. Even worse than, when they cancelled Firefly."
"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie."
"I saw my physician but he wouldn't take me seriously."
"You didn't?"
"Yes, he was most unhelpful. He suggested I acquire a girlfriend. When I informed him, I already had a girlfriend, he said, I had 'no problem at all then'. The medical profession has gone downhill, it really has."
"Just terrible!"
"I know."
"Don't worry, Sheldon, your magnetism is in safe hands," she said.
"Oh, I have little doubt of that. It's my intellect I'm concerned for."
"Your intellect will be perfectly fine, trust me?"
"I hope so. Now, I can no longer suppress my urges, I see no alternative but to act on them. I hope that by doing so, some reminisce of normality will return. Attraction is extremely deliberating, I have no idea how you people function."
"Welcome to the other side, sweetie."
"Well then, it is agreed. You must compel me."
"I'll give it my best shot," she said.