"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world"

-Harriet Tubman

Penny practically skipped out of the building with a wide grin on her face. Her first audition in California went perfectly and without any problems. She had run over her lines all week, and was able to deliver them with ease in front of the casting agents. They loved her and told her to expect a call from them soon, which made Penny even more excited and hopeful.

When she first arrived, Penny was a bit intimidated by the other women in the room, who were also auditioning for the same part. They were all taller, prettier, and some had more experiences in acting than she has. The role was for the television series Criminal Minds. Hopefully, she would be playing the young wealthy woman whose mother gets kidnapped, and the FBI has to extract deep family secrets from her in order to save her. The character only had a few lines and scenes, but she would be appearing on TV and that was enough for her.

Reminding herself to thank her new agent Laura for hooking her up with the audition, Penny drove back home. The drive to the audition took her almost two hours, but it was worth it.

The last time she had to drive to a city hours away for what she thought was an audition for a commercial, turned out to be for porn.

Penny repeated their words over and over, which boosted her confidence in herself.

"You were amazing Ms. Queen. Absolutely breath-taking. It's very unusual that no one has casted you before, and to those who rejected you, they lost a gem in the entertainment business. You're a natural at this, and we urge you to pursue your dreams. Take the big leap, no matter what the cost. You won't regret it."

She tried her hardest not to jump up and down with joy as she listened to their kind and uplifting words. It was one of the best things that anyone could say to her, and she would never forget them. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me. I promise I will not let you down."

The woman, Barbara, gave her a heartwarming smile. "You are so welcome, dear. You deserved it. Although we are not casting you on the spot because there are other girls waiting out there who also deserve a turn, I can assure you that you will probably be the best out of all the performances. In other words, you can guarantee receiving a phone call from us soon."

She entered the city of Pasadena just as the radio started to play "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina & The Waves, which she happily sung along with. She then passed by the shoe store she visited that caused her to miss the bus, and Penny had made a lot on tips in the past week. Wanting to give herself a little treat, she circled back around to browse for some shoes.

Before she could make a u-turn, Penny's phone began to ring. It was a little too early, but in the back of her mind, she hoped that the call was good news. She yearned for the four little words on the other side of the line. You've got the part. Immediately, she pulled over to the side of the street and took her phone out of her purse. She was smiling uncontrollably, but sighed when it was just Tyler.

Don't lose hope yet girl, Penny thought to herself. Just be patient. It'll come soon.

Answering the call, she put her phone on her ear. "Hey, babe. How's it going?"

She heard nothing for five seconds before Tyler spoke. "It's my father. He's in the hospital at this very second back in Nebraska. His cancer has metastasized and things are looking bad for him. Oh god, Penny. Please just come home fast. I need someone with me."

He choked back his tears. "Penny?"

"I'll be home right away. Just hang on, I'm on my way." Penny said, slowly pulling into traffic.

"Hurry back."

With that, he hung up, and many thoughts flew in and out of Penny's head. As much as she disliked it, she didn't really know much about Tyler's father. What she did know was how close he was to him. She would listen to his stories about how when his mother died, his father raised him and his four siblings by himself. His aunt would stop by their home to help out, but other than that, he spent the rest of his life as a single dad.

She couldn't bear the thought of losing her father. Yes, they had their ups and downs, as well as how her father treated her more like a son than a daughter, but she relied on and trusted him. It would kill her if he becomes diagnosed with cancer and watch his health deteriorate. Penny's heart broke, not knowing how Tyler was actually feeling.

Penny slammed on her brakes when she noticed that the traffic light had turned red. She got lost in her own thoughts that it was as if she was on auto pilot. She took a deep breath, and sighed. It was supposed to be a good day for her, but now she was surrounded by the feeling of sorrow and it bothered her. The light turned green, and Penny gripped on the steering wheel tightly. Her mind wandered once more before she parked in front of her apartment.

Tyler needed her now more than ever.

"Good news, Dr. Cooper-" Dr. Barnett entered the hospital room in good spirits. Certainly Sheldon would appreciate the next few words exiting her mouth.

He reached over to the table beside him for the remote of the television, which was playing episode 178 of Star Trek: Next Generation. It was the series finale for the show, and Sheldon paused during the scene when Picard finds himself facing Q in the courtroom. "Who is this Doctor Cooper?" Sheldon asked.

Amy, who sitting next to his bed, leaned over to his ear. "That's you, remember?" She reminded him.

Sheldon nodded. He has some of his memories back, most that weren't as helpful in knowing who he was. Amy had helped him over the past week with regaining the memories, using the tricks up her sleeve that she had learned from when she was in college learning neurobiology. "Yes, Amy has informed me that I do hold... two doctorates?" He spoke the last part as a question, to which Amy gave him a two thumbs up and a smile. "Good, I was not a hundred percent sure."

"Well, Sheldon, you have asked the staff countless times about when you can leave the hospital. I've come to tell you that you may sign your discharge papers as early as this afternoon if you wished." Dr. Barnett informed him, and Sheldon's face lit up.

"Thank you. I don't know if I can stand being her longer than I should be. I ask for the papers to be brought to me at your earliest convenience. If there's one thing I look forward to, it would be taking a shower in my bathroom at home." Sheldon laid back down on the bed and pressed play, resuming the episode from where it left off.

Dr. Barnett tapped Amy on the shoulder and gestured her to come outside. Once Amy had excused herself and closed the door leading to his room, the other woman began to speak. "I'm getting straight to the point here." The doctor placed the clipboard on the chairs against the wall. "I'm not so sure that your boyfriend Sheldon over there will regain all of his memory."

"It's been only a week. It may take up to several weeks as I have learned from studies." Amy responded, still hopeful that Sheldon would make a full recovery, physically and mentally.

"I understand. It may come to him gradually, but like I said, there is also the chance they he may not. Sheldon doesn't even know what he does for a living." Amy listened, taking a seat with Dr. Barnett following.

"Yes he does." She protested.

The doctor shook her head. "Because you told him. Does he remember how he met you or the other guys? You didn't tell him, did you?"

"I don't have to. I'm sure he knows."

Dr. Barnett sighed. "See if he does. I have to get back to another patient. Tell me if anything comes up."

"I can assure you that he does recall, but he has not yet said anything about it because no one has asked." Without another word, Amy stood up from the chair and walked into the room.

Sheldon glanced at the woman coming in, and then refocused his attention back to the television. He chewed on the red vines that he was given the understanding that it is his favorite candy.

Amy sat beside him quietly. She didn't want to ask him, because if he did say what she was hoping not to hear, her hope in Sheldon recovering completely will lessen. She gulped. Amy needed to know. One way or another, he will get though this no matter what. "Sheldon?"

He turned, placing another piece of red vine in his mouth. "Amy?"

"Do you..." She paused. Here it goes. "Do you remember how you met Leonard? It did happen years ago. Ten to be exact. You also met Howard and Raj back then as well." Amy rambled.

Sheldon thought for a moment. She watched him stare into space, like he was digging inside his brain for the lost memories that she was talking about. "No."

"Oh." Amy said. Maybe because it was too far back. He did remember what had happened last year because it's still fresh in his memory. She decided to see the earliest memory he could think of. "Do you recall anything from two years ago?"

"Hmm... Howard and Bernadette's wedding on top of the roof?" He answered, though rather unsure of it.

"Okay. What about anything before that?"

His mind was combing through all the existing memories he had, searching real hard for one that happened before. "I vaguely remember about a fight I had with Leonard that resulted in me pulling the main breaker switch which caused power failure in the building."

"Earlier than that?" Amy scooted closer to him.

"Joining Leonard, Howard, and Rajesh to face Leonard's bully in high school."

She desperately wanted to hear a certain memory that she shared with Sheldon. It happened only three weeks before the confrontation with Jimmy Speckerman. Amy hoped that he could at least remember that. "Earlier?"

If Sheldon thought harder, his head would have metaphorically exploded. It was frustrating for him to dig out pieces of what he had experienced deep into his brain. Amy waited longer for his answer, and it was worrying her even more. "I recall myself comparing my spot to a four-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system."

She let out the breath she was holding longer than she had needed to. "Great. When did you say that?" Amy didn't know that Sheldon had said that.

"Back in 2009."

"That's good. That means you remember what memory I had in my mind. Do you know anything else between that year and 2012?"

There was a longer pause than before.

"You said about us meeting. I-I can't remember what you said. The medicines made me drowsy and I wasn't paying attention." He whispered, dropping his eyes down to the hands on his lap.

Amy was stunned. She stared at Sheldon with a blank facial expression. Sheldon waved his hand in front of her eyes, trying to capture her attention and release her from her trance. "Amy? Hello?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. He doesn't even remember the day that they signed the relationship agreement. The day Sheldon Cooper officially became her boyfriend. Not only her first boyfriend, but the best. Smart, tall, and lanky. Even though he wasn't like other romantic partners out there, he was enough for her. They shared deep science talks and she had an idea in mind that one day, maybe someday, they'll create genius babies and rule the world.

Amy knew that if he doesn't remember anything earlier than that, surely he doesn't remember the first day they met. The day that changed her.

She felt like crying. It hurt her. What if Dr. Barnett was right? What if he never regains the past memories?

"Fine. If you're not going to talk to me, I'm going to sleep." Sheldon said before lying on his side with his back against her.

Amy had nowhere to go. Leonard and Howard are working at that moment.

Even if Bernadette wasn't working, she was almost like a stranger to her, so why bother.

It seemed the she didn't have any interest in befriending the quirky neurobiologist.

Raj was still away.

The only thing she could do was pull out her phone and dial the first number that came in her mind.

Even though she did stress that she had no feelings or interest in him whatsoever, he was still a nice guy.

The phone rang, before she heard his voice. "Bert? It's Amy."

Penny breezed past the lobby and pushed down on the elevator button as hard as she could. It wasn't long when the doors opened and she rushed inside, before pressing the level her apartment was on. She tapped her foot on the floor, wishing this thing would go faster.

I should have taken the stairs, she whispered to herself. The doors opened once more and Penny found herself dashing down the hall and around the corner. She stood in front of the wooden door, fishing her apartment keys from her purse, and fumbled as she put the key into the lock. The front door swung open, and she entered a dimly lit room.

Underneath the bedroom doorway was light, and Penny knew Tyler was inside. She slipped off her flats and placed her purse, along with the keys, down on the table. As she walked towards their bedroom, she heard a woman's voice on the computer and wondered who it was. Penny was certain she had heard it before months ago.

She tiptoed quietly, and once she reached the door, Penny opened it slowly. She saw Tyler sitting in front of their computer as he skyped with someone. The door creaked, and Tyler turned his head suddenly to see Penny entering. "Hey." He softly greeted as she gave him a sincere smile.

"Pen, you remember Lisa, my sister?" He pointed to the video feed that showed Lisa waving hello to Penny before blowing her nose with a tissue. "We were just talking about..." The slight smile on his face that appeared when Penny walked in disappeared, and turned into a frown.

"I know." Penny brought another chair to sit next to him. She wrapped her left arm across his shoulders and pulled him close for a side hug, before kissing his cheek. "I'm so sorry. You and your family don't deserve this much pain and suffering."

Tyler kissed her forehead. "None of us do."

"Are you going to tell her?" Lisa asked from the computer. "The sooner you plan, the sooner you can head out."

"What are you going to tell me?" She looked at Lisa, then to Tyler's brown eyes.

He sighed. "I'm heading to Nebraska on the next flight available after this. I need to be there with my family, with my dad. I want to be there if he..." Tyler trailed off, not wanting to speak of the inevitable. "The cancer reached his brain now. Nothing can the doctors do, and it's only a matter of time before he's gone."

Penny's eyes started to tear up, and Tyler wiped them away with his fingers. He continued, "I want to say goodbye before he leaves. It will kill me if I don't get the chance to say it before it's too late."

"I'll pack a bag then." She said, standing up, before Tyler pulled her down back to her seat. "What?"

"You don't have to be there Pen. I know how much you wanted to leave Nebraska for good. It's my family, not yours."

"Don't say that. Whatever or whoever you care for, I do, too." Penny stood up again, but this time Tyler did as well, towering over her.

"You're not going to let me pay for your ticket." Tyler predicted.

"I can handle it Tyler." She argued.

He shook his head. "No. You can't afford that much money for an early flight. Stay here. I'll tell you what happens. You'll be there with me even though you're actually not."

"I can afford it. Please, let me-"

Tyler silenced her with a kiss. "It's a family matter. My family. And besides, I know you never really got along with Pops and my siblings."

Penny was annoyed about that. How she wished she was closer and friendlier with his family, who mocked her acting career, belittling her dreams.

"It's true." Lisa joked. "It's not that we hate you sweetie, it's just that being a professional actress is not a good career choice. You may not make it big."

She rolled her eyes. Oh, how she wanted to tell her about today. "Fine. But you call me every day. I need to hear your voice at least once to get me though the day."

Tyler nodded. "I will."

Penny hugged him once more, only to pull away when her phone began to vibrate against her jean's pocket. She took it out of its confinement and stared in shock at the caller I.D.

"Penny, dear? It's Barbara from earlier. I have some good news you would be interested in."

Based on Penny's facial expression, Tyler knew that California was the best place for her to be in, not back home living a simple life in Omaha.

Leonard swung the door to apartment 4A, and walked inside with Sheldon behind him. His left hand was still in a cast. The bruises and cuts all around his body were less noticeable now. His black eye was fading fast and Dr. Barnett estimated that in about three to five days, it'll be gone for good.

The cast would stay for at least two weeks more until it is fully healed. Sheldon was counting off the days until it gets removed, because he was tired of having it on him.

"Welcome home, buddy." Leonard said, watching Sheldon check the apartment intently.

Sheldon moved to the bookcase behind the couch, his eyes catching the figurines and collectibles displayed in it. In the back of his head, a voice was telling him that this was home; his sanctuary and safe haven. Above the bookcase was a Green Lantern figurine and The Flash miniatures.

He then walked to his desk, reading the unfinished papers of the theory he was working on before what had happened. Many of the words seemed familiar to Sheldon, and he knew that he had written them. Some parts of the paper he understood, but the others caused him to stare at them longer than usual. He fiddled with his laptop before going to the couch.

Sheldon sat in the middle cushion of the couch. Something was definitely not right. He looked over to the spot directly to his left, and scooted to that cushion. Leonard brought him a cup of tea from the kitchen, placing it on top of a coaster that laid on the coffee table. The spot he was sitting on was his (0,0,0,0), and the thought of it made him smile.

This is definitely my spot.

"What's on your mind?" Leonard asked, taking a seat on the arm rest of the chair closest to Sheldon's spot on the couch.

"Earlier this evening, Amy seemed distressed when I informed her of the memories I could remember. With each one I presented to her, she wanted me to go back farther, which was harder than you can imagine." Sheldon said as he picked up the cup of tea and blew softly into it.

Leonard continued the conversation. "What do you remember?"

Sheldon took a sip before telling his roommate his exact words back in the hospital. He never lost his eidetic memory, which was both a blessing and a curse to Leonard. He concluded that Sheldon probably still doesn't know how he met the guys, and knew what had upset Amy.

"Buddy, I think I know what made Amy upset."

He put his cup back down on the table. "What did I do or say?"

"Well, do you remember how you met her?" Sheldon shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't have any recollections of that day whatsoever. I still don't understand what that has to do with anything with Amy being upset."

"She's upset because you don't remember the most important day in your relationship. The day you guys met. Either that or signing that agreement with her."

He stared at his bespectacled roommate, wide-eyed. "Now who would sign an agreement for a relationship?" Sheldon was serious.

"You! You even made me sign an agreement before I moved in." Leonard reminded him.

"Alright. Well it sounds ridiculous." Sheldon crossed his arms on his chest.

Leonard muttered under his breath. "Tell that to yourself."

He ignored his comment. "How do you propose to make things better? I don't know how to regain my memories in a flash. They just appear gradually. When you mentioned the roommate agreement, it appeared somewhere in my head."

Leonard took off his glasses and rubbed the temples of his head. He wanted to help out his best friend, but was unsure how to. "What if my mother figures something out?"

"What makes your mother qualified?" He asked.

"She is a highly respected psychologist. Surely, demonstrated by previous experiences, a woman like my mother is more than qualified to bring back some of your lost memories."

Sheldon nodded in agreement. "I see. Please let me know if she has said anything about aiding me in this situation. It is 7:30 and I am very tired." He began to get out of his seat and walked down the hall leading to the bathroom and bedrooms.

"You're not eating dinner?" Leonard called out. "Howard and Bernadette are coming in a few. It's Thai food night."

He reentered the living room with a confused look. "What does that entail?"

Leonard looked at him. "Seriously? Not even the Sheldonian calendar?" Sheldon just stared back at him. "Umm... You usually get Mee krob and chicken satay with extra peanut sauce from the restaurant nearby every Monday night. We eat here with everyone else."

"Every Monday night?"

"Yes." Leonard clarified. "You have a huge schedule and have daily routines. You don't know this stuff?"

"What kind of man was I?" Sheldon asked. Who would have a life filled with planned events and fixed tasks every day?

He thought for a minute. "Why don't I type up your usual schedule while you wait for the food? Deal?"

Sheldon sighed. This was going to be one Herculean task ahead of him to remember all the idiosyncrasies, schedules, routines, theories, and interests he had before losing his memory.

"Deal."

"Again, I'm so sorry about all of this. We've been through so much, and I could feel you hurting. Remember that I'm always here for you, okay?" Penny reached out for Tyler's hands on his lap as he leaned down, his forehead touching hers.

Tyler brushed the piece of hair away from her face. "Don't worry too much. Pops is a fighter. He still has a chance. Plus, you have your acting career. I mean a role on television? Pen, that's amazing and I'm proud of you." He kissed her waiting lips. "I love you."

Penny looked up directly. Ten years after meeting each other, which included three years of dating, five years of friendship, and the past two as a couple again, she still hasn't said those three words. Tyler was a nice guy, a better man than anyone else whom she has been with. He sacrificed a great deal to move down to California.

He cared for her, and supported her most of the time. A part of her was telling her that Tyler doesn't deserve a community college drop up with aspirations of becoming a movie star. He needed someone more successful and not a failure at everything she does.

Why couldn't she say it? They've been together for so long now and she trusted him with all her heart. She could see a future ahead of them- but for Penny, she honestly thought that they aren't going to get married and have any children. She guessed that Tyler will be caught up with his work. Oh, how he loves his work and is very loyal to his company. Over the past week, she had only seen him when he came home after ten or ten thirty. He would leave before she's up, and it wasn't really good for their relationship.

Penny's day offs were on Wednesdays and Fridays. Tyler worked longer hours on those days. He had the weekend off, but even if Penny wasn't working, Tyler would be doing something work related. It bothered her, and they haven't been talking as much as when they first met.

What if this role flies her to new places? What if she becomes a famous actress and it takes up most of her time? Penny wouldn't be able to see much of Tyler, and it was upsetting.

Maybe this time away was a good thing. Let her ponder about the future she might have with this man. See if she can live life normally without him.

Tyler squeezed her hand, and Penny snapped out of her head. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

He kissed her lips one more time and reached for the opened the car door. Tyler looked to Penny one more time. "I know what you were thinking. We'll talk about it when I come back. Take care of yourself, Pen."

Penny watched him exit the car and walk inside the airport. Why second guess her feelings now? Tyler bought you a car for Christ's sake, she cursed herself.

The spark that was once there was diminishing by the second, and Penny wasn't sure how to ignite it again. Two weeks alone in her apartment might be a good or bad thing in disguise, but she wasn't sure how it would be.

A/N:

I got stuck finishing this chapter, but I'm proud of how it's written.

And get ready for more Shenny scenes in the following chapters ahead.