Sheldon retrieved his bag from his closet and triple checked the entire apartment, making sure he wouldn't left anything plugged in.

He didn't know what made him sadder-the fact that Amy, his now ex-girlfriend-replaced him with another man or the fact that he just really missed Penny.

He wouldn't admit it even to himself, but Penny haunted him to his core. He'd found himself wide awake some nights, thinking about her, and on the nights that he was able to get sleep, he'd wake up the next morning wondering how good it would be to wake up with her by his side.

He went down the stairs and hoped that the females in his life would know what to do.

"Need help packing?" Leonard entered their room and found Penny packing a suitcase for her trip.

She smiled. "No, thanks, I'm almost done. I could use some company, though," she replied.

"That is a lot of stuff," Leonard commented as he sat on the bed. "How long will you be gone again?"

"About a month or two," she sighed. "Will you be okay?"

Leonard smiled. "I'm a grown man, Penny," he joked.

"A grown man with the height of a pre-adolescent." Penny joked back. She was in a happy mood today.

Leonard feigned anger and pouted. "Oh, you." Penny kissed him on the cheek.

She closed her suitcase and smiled. "Finally!" She exclaimed.

"You're done?" At Penny's nod, Leonard continued. "That's good, because you have some visitors in the living room."

Penny let Leonard pull her into their living room where she saw Bernadette, Howard and Raj sitting on the couch. "Oh my God, you guys!" She gushed excitedly.

"We wouldn't let you go anywhere without some kind of a farewell party, now would we?" Raj said as he gave Penny a hug.

"Exactly," Howard replied. "So, Texas, huh?"

Penny shrugged. "Yeah. It's my first time to shoot in another state!"

"That is so cool. Are we going to get tickets to the movie's premiere or something...?" Howard asked.

Penny rolled her eyes, smiling at her friends. "Of course you are! After all, you're like, family to me already."

Raj actually felt tears in his eyes. "Stop it or I'm going to cry!" He said.

Bernadette smiled at them and said, "How about we just break out the champagne?" At everyone's nod, they got out glasses and poured themselves a drink to celebrate Penny's-and everyone else's-success.

Penny looked around at her best friends, and thanked her lucky stars that she was surrounded by people who loved her and whom she loved in return. If only Sheldon and Amy was here...

Mary Cooper opened her front door to the sight of her tall, thin son carrying a bag. "Sheldon? You finally visited!" She said, wrapping her arms around him.

"Yes, mom, I've finally visited." He replied. Mary opened the door a little wider and allowed Sheldon to enter.

"Aren't you a sight, Shelly," Mary said as she took a good look at her son. "You look... sad."

Sheldon sighed. "It's a long story." He replied silently.

"Sheldon," Mary scolded him. "I've got all night."

He sighed again. "It's about a lady."

Mary tried to suppress a smile. "God must have heard my prayer when I said to find you someone," she muttered.

Sheldon's Vulcan hearing picked up on that comment and he rolled his eyes. "I have been feeling things that I cannot figure out." Mary was still smiling when she took out a Diet Coke from her fridge. "I have two PhDs, an IQ of 187 and a Nobel prize, but I have no idea why I cannot figure these... feelings out."

Mary offered him the Coke, which he drank greedily. "You love her," she said.

"I don't know the answer to that," Sheldon replied.

"That wasn't a question, Shelly," she replied, smirking at her son. Sheldon nodded reluctantly.

Mary licked her lips before answering. "Love isn't just something you figure out, you know." Sheldon sat still, listening to every word. "Love isn't something your science stuff can explain... it's just... what's in that heart of yours. You get some sort of butterflies when you're with her, you want to spend every waking moment with her. You don't figure love out, you just feel."

Sheldon's face was blank. "That does not make sense..."

"Listen to your mother, Sheldon," Mary scolded her son for the second time that night. "Now tell me about that lady you're pining for. Amy, isn't it?"

AN: So Sheldon has arrived in Texas, and Penny's on her way! Are their paths going to cross somewhere? What's going to happen if they do?

Review please! Reviews keep me going. Thanks!

TBBT's not mine, though I really wish I'm a writer for that show...