Chapter Fifteen

Penny prepared herself for helping Sheldon in every way that Google told her to. Unfortunately, Penny did not put into account the issue of the alters' emergence. They did not pop out all the time. The stress in Sheldon's life must have been the perfect trigger for them to take over. Penny hung around with Missy, for the short time she was there, hoping to catch an alter, but they remained dormant. It wasn't until 3 weeks after getting slapped by 'Fabio' that an alter issue decided to flare up.

Sheldon had been interviewing for the past couple of weeks with different Universities in California for a position. He had a promising interview but Kripke called to besmirch his reputation further. Sheldon came home in a flurry of emotions moving too quickly for him to fully process. Unluckily, it was Raj that broke the last straw.

Raj came to the guys apartment, holding hands with a blonde man, and declared that he was gay to the group. Penny wasn't surprised by this declaration and the guys seemed supportive. That is, expect for Sheldon. It looked as if he was catatonic before leaving the room. Raj's heartbreak was clear in his eyes and they started to well up. Christopher excused them and they left. And not a moment too soon. Sheldon burst back through the room dressed in all black carrying….

"Is that a Bible Sheldon?" Penny was halfway out of her chair before the book (Definitely a Bible) was shoved close to her face.

"Of course it is a Bible, Jezebel! You would think through all your whoring you would have come across it. If you repent now, the Lord will forgive you!" Penny was shoved back into her seat, her eyes wide with surprise. Leonard jumped out of his seat and put himself between the two of them.

" Paul! You can't talk to Penny like that! She is not a whore! She…" Paul cut him off by striding away into the kitchen. Spinning around, he shot an accussing finger at Leonard.

"You say such things because she has bewitched you! She had you under her spell!" Paul strode over Leonard and grasped his shoulders and shook him. "You can fight her succubus nature brother! Fight it and the kingdom of God is open to you!"

No one noticed Penny reaching into her purse to get her phone. She read that if faced with the proof of an alter, the host would be able to actualize the problem. By seeing that they alters were real they could move towards becoming whole. Penny planned on videoing this episode so Sheldon could see. So he could be whole. So he could be with her wholly. Blushing, she turned her phone towards the ranting Paul. 'One thing a time Penny.'

Penny got a few minutes worth of footage before Paul ran out of steam. Sighing about sinners and hellfire, he went back to Sheldon's room. Leonard turned to Penny with a pensive look.

"Penny, it isn't going to work"

"What do you mean?" She never thought of Leonard as a quitter. Why would he give up on Sheldon now when she was so close to fixing him?

"We tried that. His mother has tried that. An alter will just pop up right before you get it going and break it. Be it a phone, laptop, or even a TV. They are going to be harder than that to get rid of" He went the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He sent Penny a sympathetic look. "Penny. He's my best friend. I've tried. You can try and I commend you for doing so. But you're going to …"

"Leonard. I know that there is no 'Cure.' But that doesn't mean I'm going to quit on him. I'm going to find a way to help Sheldon work his way through this." Leonard smiled at her and motioned her to him.

"Penny. For each alter, there is a reason. I have only gotten the reason out of Fabio and that's because he can't shut up. If you could get the other ones to talk to you, you may have a better chance of helping" Penny didn't think that she admired Leonard as much as she did then. She smiled, and squeezed his hand.

The moment was broken, however, when Sheldon slid into the room. Wearing nothing but leather pants.

"Penny! You are like the most beautiful blossom found in a lifeless desert. An oasis that I would gladly drink from" Penny's face flared red. "Come with me, to my love chamber, and I will show you passion like you have never experienced." The new alter knelt in front of Penny and started to kiss up her arm.

She snatched it away before backing up from him. 'He's so forward!' Penny didn't think her embarrassment could get any higher. She was wrong. Smirking, the new alter got down onto his hands and knees, looking up at her through hooded eyes, and slunk closer and closer. Penny kept backing up until she hit the counter. His smirk got more devious. He got right up to her, his head reaching about her thighs, and tilted his head to look at her. The intensity of his stare made Penny forget how to use her words. She could only gape as he slowly rose to his feet, body pressing against her's as he rose, until he stood at full height.

He cradled her head before tilting it up to look him in the eyes.

"I am James. I am here to make all your dreams come true"

**Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story. The reviews have been lovely and greatly appreciated. I'm just writing to state that I am going to be in my last year of college. I will update as often as I can but it may be a bit delayed. I won't abandon the story. Nothing pisses me off more than when someone does that. Thanks for the support and I'm hoping to get the next chapter out this week. Loves ya'll!**