4 months later

Penny pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. She gathered her purse and mail and stepped out of the car. She smiled as Raj stepped out of the house and walked toward her. When he got closer her smile faded.

"Sweetie? What's wrong? You look so serious." A horrible thought came to mind. "Chase?" she asked frantically. She made to move past him and he grabbed her arms.

"No! No," he said soothingly. "Chase is fine, Penny. I swear." Penny sagged with relief. He took her purse and the mail. "Penny, it's your dad." He cupped her face in his hands and tried to be gentle. He could already see the pain forming in her eyes. "It was quick, I promise. A heart attack."

Tears filled her eyes and a sob escaped her throat. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. His heart broke for Penny as her tears soaked into his shirt. Just two weeks more and they would have been in Omaha for a visit. After several minutes Penny pulled back.

"I need to call Mom," she said brokenly. Raj nodded and led her inside.

Raj was putting the finishes touches on his report when Penny joined him on the couch. He put aside the papers and wrapped her in his arms, as she laid her head on his chest. Despair rolled off her in waves.

"Chase and I will fly out tomorrow," she whispered. "With my sister pregnant again, and my brother in jail again, she needs me."

"Will you two be okay?" he asked. "I can leave with you."

Penny nodded once. "I won't lie. It hurts, Raj. I love my dad. We had our differences, but he was a good man. He's my dad. You can't leave until the 18th at least." She looked up at him with scared eyes. "Just …don't take too long, okay?"

He smiled reassuringly. "As fast as I can."

She hesitated outside the house. She bit her lip and nervously pulled her hair out of the ponytail she wore at work. Amy was out of town at that neurology seminar in Boston. If she had been home, Bernadette would never have said anything. But. She had seen how strained things were between Sheldon and Amy these last few months. Howard had confided in her that he thought Amy might have started seeing someone on the side. Penny was her friend, possibly her best friend aside from her husband. She …she just wanted Penny to be happy. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Sheldon opened the door with a quizzical expression. "Bernadette? Why are you here?" he asked as he stepped back to let her in.

Bernadette stepped inside and faced him. "Penny called me last night," she said softly. "Her dad passed away. She's flying into Omaha tomorrow with Chase. She could use a friend, Sheldon."

Sheldon looked away for a moment, his eyes shut tight. With a sigh he looked back at her. "Why aren't you going then?"

Bernadette looked at him steadily. "Because I'm not the one she needs." She shrugged slightly. "And I think you need to see her, too."

"That's not a good idea," he said in a barely audible voice.

The blonde smiled sympathetically. "Suit yourself, Sheldon. I can keep Sabrina for a couple of days, if you change your mind." Bernadette stepped back outside and paused. "Life doesn't give you many chances at happiness, Sheldon. Don't waste yours."

Penny was just getting to the florist shop when her phone rang. She didn't bother looking to see who was calling. With the time difference Raj and Cara would be in bed, and her mom hadn't gotten out of bed since she arrived. It was probably her sister. "Hello."

'Hello, Penny," said a deep twangy voice.

She almost dropped the phone. "Sheldon?"

"Yes. How are you doing?" he asked gently.

Penny closed her eyes and sat down on the bench outside the shop. "I'm holding up. Been busy making the funeral arrangements and stuff."

There was silence for a few minutes. "Amy is gone to a conference, but if you would like some help, I can take a couple of days off," he offered.

Penny closed her eyes tight and bit her lip. "That isn't a good idea, Sheldon."

"I just want to see you. You are my friend, Penny. " he replied.

"The last time you said that, we didn't exactly act like friends," she said.

"Is that a no?" he asked tenderly.

Penny wrapped her free arm around her waist and told herself to hang up. To tell him goodbye. "Call me when you land. I'll pick you up." She hung up quickly and asked herself what the hell she was doing.

"Hey, Penny. How is everything?" Raj asked sleepily.

"I …I may have just done something incredibly stupid," Penny said sadly. "I need you to tell me what to do."

Raj sat up on the side of the bed, waking Cara on accident. "Penny? What is it?"

"Sheldon called me." She took a deep breath. "He asked if I wanted him to come help. I said yes, Raj. I said yes, knowing full well what he was really asking."

Raj smiled tenderly, even though she couldn't see him. "Penny, you love him. There's nothing wrong with that."

She sobbed softly. "He's married to Amy, Raj. What is wrong with me?"

Raj sighed and leaned into Cara's arm as she hugged hum from behind. "Penny, Howard told me that Sheldon and Amy have been kind of rocky for months now. He thinks they are on the brink of a divorce. If Sheldon is coming to see you, if there's a chance for the two of you to be together, do you really want to give that up?"

Penny was silent for a several minutes while she thought hard about what he said. "No."

Raj smiled. "Then see him. Have your sister watch Chase for the day. You know I want you to be happy."

Thank you, sweetie," Penny said softly. They said their goodbyes and hung up. She dried her eyes and walked into the florist shop. She needed to find sunflowers and daisies for her dad's wreath. They were his favorites.

The moment she saw him step into the terminal, it was as if the last 2 years hadn't happened. Sheldon walked right up to her and pulled her into his arms. Their lips met in a desperate kiss. The ten minute drive to the hotel seemed to take hours.

Sheldon shoved the door open and pulled her inside. The door slammed shut as he backed her into it and kissed her again. His hands pushed her shirt up as she lifted her arms. With that item out of the way, he bent to lick and tease her nipples. Penny's fingers fumbled for a second, but she unbuckled his belt and unsnapped his pants. She pushed the chinos down his hips and he stepped out of them, drawing her toward the bed. He whipped off his shirts as she wiggled out of her jeans. They fell across the bed, hands roaming over sensitive skin.

Neither of them could wait. He rolled over, pulling Penny on top of him. She rose up and reached between them to give him a squeeze before placing him at her already wet entrance. Sheldon's hips surged up, burying himself deep inside her. Penny's head drooped down with pleasure and he pulled her flush against his chest. Their hips moved in unison, frantically seeking more and more pleasure.

Sheldon sat up, Penny's arms wrapping around his neck tight, her knees on either side of his hips. His hands gripped her hips securely as she rode him. It didn't take long for either of them to find their release. When it hit, Penny moaned his name with wanton abandon, and Sheldon groaned, repeating her name over and over like a mantra.

They collapsed back onto the bed in a tangle of sweaty limbs. As soon as he found the strength, he tugged the blanket around them and cradled her close to his chest. There would be time to talk later. For now, they just held each other.

The slept for a little over an hour. When Sheldon woke up, he began pressing light kisses along her spine. By the time he reached her waist, Penny was awake. He pushed her over onto her back and smoothed his palm over her core. He leaned in and started leisurely swiping his tongue along her folds. He grabbed her ankles and pushed her legs until her knees were bent and spread as wide as possible.

Penny gasped as he blew warm air over her clit before closing his lips around it. He circled her entrance with two fingers before pushing them slowly inside her, stretching her walls. He pumped them in and out in time to the gentle suction of his mouth. In only moments he had her writhing uncontrollably. Penny's hands reached down to tangle in his hair.

"Oh fuck!" she moaned loudly.

Sheldon looked up and a grin spread across his face. "As you wish," he growled. He rose up and in one smooth thrust, buried himself deeply inside her. Penny's back arched as she hooked her ankles around his waist. Sheldon braced his arms on either side of her head and began to move. Penny's hands reached up to caress his chest. Sheldon bucked as she pinched one nipple. She smirked and stretched up to bite it gently.

"Penny," he hissed sharply. "I …I… god! So good," he whispered.

She pulled his head down and placed her lips at his ear. "I'm close. Fuck me harder," she begged. He turned his head and captured her lips as he pushed them both over the edge of ecstasy.

Several hours of pleasure and soft kisses later, Sheldon pulled back the curtain and stepped into the shower behind her. Penny leaned back into his arms and he kissed her cheek. "I wish…" he murmured.

Penny shook her head. "No. No wishing Sheldon. No promises, no regrets, no plans. This is what it is."

He frowned down at her. "And what is it?" he asked stiffly.

Penny turned and placed a palm against his cheek. "It's magic. It's perfect. It's us." He smiled tenderly and she drew in a deep breath. "But it's not forever. Eventually we have to go back to reality. You have Sabrina and Amy. I have Chase and Raj."

Sheldon cringed and looked up at the ceiling. "Do you want me to leave?"

Penny wrapped her arms around him. "No, I don't," she admitted. "Not ever."

Sheldon sighed and held her tight. "That's why I have to, isn't it?"

Penny kissed him delicately, her heart breaking. "I don't regret this, Sheldon. I don't regret anything we've done here today, or two years ago. But it's going to hurt me, too. Because I'm going to miss you more than you know."

He cradled her face in his hands and brushed away a tear with his thumb. "I actually do know," he whispered. "Because I'll feel it, too."

She watched his plane taxi down the runway, tears sliding down her cheeks steadily.

He watched out the window as the airport grew smaller and his heart grew heavier.