"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."

-Helen Keller

The alarm clock resting on top of the nightstand beside their bed began to make that irksome noise, causing Penny to wake up from her deep sleep. She grunted, and then reached over to the nightstand to shut the clock off before lying back down on the mattress. Pulling the covers up her body, she heard the bedroom door open and the creaking of the floorboards. The steps grew louder and louder, and it was making it harder for her to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, Penny felt someone jump on top of her and attack her face with kisses. Tyler was wrestling her on the bed, laughing as he watched her trying to escape from his strong hold. Unfortunately for him, Penny was the master of junior rodeo, winning competitions starting when she was in fifth grade. Though Tyler was larger, Penny was able to flip him over on his back as she quickly straddled his legs together in mere seconds with ease.

She held his wrists above his head and smirked. "Now why would you wake me up this early in the morning?"

Tyler smiled. "I just wanted to hear your laugh again. You had one hell of a night, and I was trying to lighten your mood."

Penny kissed his forehead and then his nose. "Why would I laugh when I only got six hours of sleep?" She released her boyfriend, who helped her out of the bed. "I forgot, I have to work the lunch shift today. Can you drop me off at Enterprise so I can get a car for myself? I'm not going to be happy if I have to walk home again."

"There is another reason for why I wanted to wake you up." Tyler said, and Penny was confused. He dug something out of his pockets, and once he got a hold of it, he presented it to the blonde. "It's all yours."

In his hands were what Penny presumed to be car keys. "Are you serious?" She stared at him, open-mouthed. "Please do not tell me you bought me a car."

"Guess I can't say anything now because of that." Penny inched closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, then pulled herself closer to him.

"Thank you. What car did you get me?" Tyler reached down to hold her hand as he led her to the living room which had a window overlooking the parking lot of their apartment complex. He pointed to a spotless silver Honda accord. It was better than her last vehicle that she used back in Omaha. She was speechless. Penny wanted to work for her things, but having Tyler buy a car for her caused her having an overwhelming feeling of happiness.

"It's also an apology gift for making fun of your acting career. Now you can get to auditions and to work safely and faster." Penny turned around to face him. She held the side of his face with her small tender hands and pulled him down for another kiss. "As much as I want to stay with you, I have to go. That car took a bite out of my paycheck and I need to work longer hours now."

"Okay, but we're not done yet." With one last kiss, Tyler went ahead and showered as Penny admired her brand new car from above.

Cruising down the streets of Pasadena with her windows down, Penny sang along to the current song playing on the radio. Even though she did not get as much sleep as she wished, Penny was in high spirits. She adored Tyler more now that he had bought her a car despite wanting to rent one herself until she could afford one. Before she left for work, she phoned her manager at the restaurant. She told him about what happened last night and that she ruined her uniform. The manager was very understanding, and praised Penny for her actions. He was to give her a brand new uniform that was smaller than her old one and fitted her body properly for free. She made sure she sounded happy over the phone, not really wanting to wear that dreaded clothing anymore.

Her next step in California was to hire an agent to organize auditions. A friend of Penny recommended one specific agent that she was sure would get the job done. Penny was meeting her over coffee next week, and discuss about her blossoming career. She spent most of her time growing up dreaming of a well-known celebrity, the ones that get stopped in the middle of the streets to ask for an autograph. She even had a speech ready for when she won a prominent award like an Emmy. Penny also dreamed about having her name present on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and being interviewed on late night shows. She dreamed that one day she will prove everyone who thought her acting career was a joke and she'll never be famous wrong.

Penny didn't want to grow up and just be like the everyday women. She wanted a life full of adventures and loved taking risks. Moving down to California was one of the biggest risks she had made, and so far, it's not so bad. She was never going to miss the cold winters and never ending snowfall. Before she left Omaha, they were expecting seven inches of snow, and though she did not mind getting her hands dirty, shoveling in the freezing air was not for her. One winter from many years ago, Penny's family lost power and heat for almost a week after a huge snow storm happened in their city. She remembered her mother making hot chocolate for her and her siblings, then gathered in the living room sitting down in front of their working gas fireplace. Her father would take Penny and her brother along with him to cut down lumber from the trees that grew in their property. The family bonded and became closer during the week without power. Penny learned more about her sister, like how she loved horror movies and enjoyed catching fireflies during the summer, and her brother, who wanted to become a police officer.

It's not that Penny wasn't interested in her siblings' likes and dislikes. It was because growing up, they regularly fought about anything and would spend most of their free time away from each other. Now older, Penny's sister was a kindergarten teacher and now married to her high school sweetheart. A couple of years later, Penny became an aunt to her sister's son. Though her brother had high prospects in life, he was not as fortunate as his sisters. His life spiraled downwards after cooking and selling meth, and suffering alcoholism, something that Penny was almost at the verge of before stopping herself awhile back. He was still living with their parents before entering rehab and has been there ever since.

Through their ups and downs, Penny loves her family. They promised to protect her and always had her back. It was a challenge and knew it was a huge risk, but her family supported the decisions she made to pursue her acting career. They always knew their little Penny was a dreamer from the start.

Penny parked her car as close as she can from the Cheesecake Factory. She silently wished that today at work would be better than yesterday, not wanting to endure After turning off the engine and exiting the vehicle, she walked to the restaurant and entered through the side door. Her manager Will greeted her with a huge grin across his face and Penny giggled before coming closer to him.

"There's the heroine who saved a young man's life!" Will exclaimed as he applauded her, causing the nearby staff to turn their heads and listen to their conversation. He faced everyone and pointed at the blonde standing next to him. "Everyone, Penny here last night has done something last night that we should admire her for."

Penny blushed. "No need to say it out loud Will. I'd like my uniform please."

"Oh, I totally forgot about that. Give me a second." He walked into his office and Penny picked up her card from the wall to scanned herself in. Will came back with a neatly folded uniform in his hands and gave them to Penny. "Go change and have a great shift today, Penny."

"Here is your southwest chicken sandwich with extra mayo and your tropical smoothie, miss." Penny said, placing the woman's food and drink in front of her on the table. "And for the little one, macaroni and cheese with extra cheese along with your chocolate milk." She handed the child his plate, only having him grab a handful of the macaroni to throw on the floor making a mess.

"I'm so sorry. Here let me." The woman stood up and took some of the napkins out of the dispenser.

"No, it's alright. I'll do it." Penny smiled and left the table momentarily, returning with supplies to clean up the food. "How old is he?" She asked as she wiped down the floor, looking up to the customer who was still standing.

"He's turning two in a month." The woman turned when the little boy started to call for her. Penny watched as she picked up her son to clean off the cheese in his hands. "His name is Damien, like his father."

Penny noticed he was not around and did not want to ask. The woman knew she was curious, so she settled Damien back down on his high chair. "His father passed away before he was born. Car accident, died at the scene." She struggled to hold back tears. "I'm Emily, by the way. Thank you again for the food and sorry for the mess. You're a waitress, not a janitor."Damien waved at Penny with his small fingers and she waved back before leaving to the computer.

Another waitress was there talking on the phone, and when she hung up the phone, she turned to Penny. "Excuse me, Penny, is it?"

She nodded. "Listen, I have to go home now and I only have one table left to serve. Can you please take over for me? I'll pay you for it."

"Sure. No problem." Penny said, and the waitress led her to the table.

Her eyes grew wide when she noticed the two sitting down across from each other, listening to them argue about Star Wars. The other waitress told them that Penny would be taking over before leaving. She knew them back at the hospital and was surprised to see them again. "Hello, I'm Penny. What would you like to order?" She introduced herself like always.

"I'm Leonard, that's Howard." Leonard pointed to the guy with the bowl cut. "We met last night."

"Oh, that's where I know you from!" She knew it even before they told her. "How's your friend, Sheldon?"

"He's still at the hospital with little memory of who he is." Howard responded. "But between you and me, that's a good thing." They both slightly chuckled.

"I don't understand." Penny said, confused.

Leonard sighed. "Our Sheldon is a bit..."

"Neurotic." Howard interrupted and Leonard nodded.

"Wow." That was all Penny could say. "Well, I hope he gets better soon." She took Leonard and Howard's orders before walking back to the kitchen to place them. She came back to Emily and Damien with their bill, surprised to see that the kind generous woman left a $50 tip for her. Penny collected the boy's food and returned to their table a couple of minutes later.

For some reason, Penny wanted to see Sheldon again. She thought back to the incident with John, and felt sorry for both. Even though Sheldon survived his ordeal, he lost his memory temporarily. That was a good thing since it was not permanently, but what if it never comes back. His two friends sounded like they were making fun of him and how he is. She has never met the man and know how he was like, but she wasn't comfortable with them joking around while their friend is in pain.

A half an hour later, Leonard and Howard finished their meals and called Penny over for their check. She caught Leonard sneaking glances of her, and gave him a smile when they made eye contact. Thankfully, she received a good tip from the two. They were both pushing their chairs in when Leonard stepped forward. "Do you want to see him? It's seems like you want to catch up and see how he's doing."

Penny was about to say yes. "No, it's fine. Just send him my best wishes for a fast recovery." Dammit, she thought to herself. "Do they have a clue about who did this to him?"

Howard shook his head. "Not yet, but he did manage to steal Sheldon's wallet and the police are monitoring his credit card activity for when that bastard decides to use it. They'll catch him soon enough."

"Okay. Well, thank you for coming and have a nice evening." Penny said before walking away.

"Captain's log, stardate 41153.7. Our destination is planet Deneb Four, beyond which lies the great unexplored mass of the galaxy. My orders are to examine Farpoint, a starbase built there by the inhabitants of that world. Meanwhile, I am becoming better acquainted with my new command, this Galaxy Class USS Enterprise. I am still somewhat in awe of its size and complexity. As for my crew, we are short in several key positions, most notably a first officer, but I am informed that a highly experienced man, one Commander William Riker, will be waiting to join our ship at our Deneb Four destination." Sheldon watched the small television screen from the corner of the room as he ate his sandwich that Amy had brought him.

He was still in pain, and rather not talk to anyone but watch reruns of The Next Generations. The doctors have checked up on him several times throughout the day, and concluded that he'll recover quickly. Sheldon was relieved because he was getting tired of laying down on the bed and the food served at the hospital was bland and tasteless. A part of him was saying to get out now when he saw the syringes and IV needles, as well as when he heard coughing or sneezing from outside.

Doctors think that he will probably get his memory back gradually in the upcoming days, but said it could take weeks or maybe over a month. He told his friends that he remembers his family members and where he was born and raised in. Sheldon could not remember his profession, his likes and dislikes, and his routine and schedule. He put on Star Trek because it felt right, and was hooked on the first episode he watched. He doesn't recall any of his friends, but by the looks of it, he didn't have many.

Amy introduced herself as his girlfriend and talked about how they met and who each one of his friends are. She seemed to take advantage of his memory loss to hold his hand and kiss him on his cheek, saying it's for comfort, without having to flinch or move. Only as the day progressed, he was getting the sense of who he is. When Amy tried to kiss him again, Sheldon reminded her of how he doesn't appreciate public displays of affection. An hour after that, he began complaining about how he was missing his work and that his equations written on his whiteboards were not going to solve themselves.

"You will agree, Data, that Starfleet's orders are difficult?... Difficult? Simply solve the mystery of Farpoint Station... As simple as that... Farpoint Station. Even the name sounds mysterious..." Sheldon's attention drifted to the sound of the door opening, with Leonard and Howard entering inside.

"Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?" Leonard asked, making his way to the chair beside him.

Sheldon placed his food on the table next to the bed. "I am a bit uncomfortable eating with this cast on. My head hurts and every time I move, it is quite painful. Other than that, I seem to be regaining some of my memories back. Look, I'm watching Next Generation and I remember the time we headed up to Vasquez Rocks, dressed up as Starfleet officers, and Leonard's vehicle getting stolen. We walked under the scorching heat of the sun, and having garbage thrown at us."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that, too." Howard said, reminiscing the time when it happened and wishing his mother was there with them so they could hide under her shadow. "Anyways, do you remember anything specifically about us?"

"Clarify your statement, please."

"Um, like do you remember any events that happened between you and me only?"

Sheldon thought for a moment. "I do recall us having an argument that led to a nude revenge wiggle due to a parking spot."

"Good, now you're getting some of them back."

"I still do not appreciate having your bare buttocks on my spot. It cost me a lot to have it washed and decontaminated." Sheldon was surprised that he suddenly remembered about his spot on the couch. If my life were expressed as a function on a four-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, that spot, at the moment I first sat on it, would be (0,0,0,0), he said years ago.

Howard made his way around Sheldon's bed. "Guess who we saw back at the Cheesecake Factory this afternoon?"

Sheldon paused, but when he opened his mouth to answer, Howard spoke. "Penny was there."

"That is not fair. You propose a guessing game, yet you don't give me enough time to guess." Sheldon pouted.

"Yup, he's back." Howard mumbled to himself.

"I may be the one with the temporary memory loss, but you are forgetting about my Vulcan hearing, Howard." Sheldon said, catching up on what he mumbled. "But anyways, how is she?"

"Well, she says that she wished you get better soon, and that's about it." Leonard answered.

Sheldon frowned. "Did she ask to see me?"

"I asked her, but she wanted me to give you that message instead."

For some reason, Sheldon was upset. He wanted to speak with her ever since he woke up with Penny right beside him. She seems to be a caring and kind person, and he owes so much to her after she saved him. He wondered if after being discharged from the hospital, Sheldon could see Penny at the Cheesecake Factory. He didn't have her number, and barely knows anything about her, so meeting her at work was the only way to talk to her again.

"Leonard?" Sheldon asked, turning his head right to look at him.

"Yes?"

"How soon can I leave this place? I do not want to spend time here any longer with all the possible deadly pathogens being housed in this building."

A/N:

Thank you to you guys reading this. Each review inspires me to write more and I'm grateful for that.