"With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things."

- William Wordsworth

Penny heaved out a long sigh once her car came to a full stop in front of a red traffic light. It was already late at night and there were barely any cars on the streets at this time. The window was rolled down and her radio was quietly playing a song to add some sound to the silent atmosphere. Glancing next to the empty passenger seat beside her, the thought of Sheldon came to her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about him ever since she dropped him off at his apartment.

It was frustrating. Penny wasn't exactly sure on what she wanted, and the more time Sheldon had to wait for an honest answer, the more it made her seem like a bad person. Sheldon doesn't deserve a woman who can't make up her mind.

To Penny, Sheldon is the best friend she could ever ask for. He listens to her and offers helpful advice from time to time. Never did he judge her on her interests and her dreams. At this point, she knew that he's the first person in her life that didn't mock her acting career. Instead of pointing out her flaws, Sheldon helped her become a better person somehow. She felt more open into trying new things and make bolder risks. Penny also knew that she had an effect on him as well. Some people may think that his memory loss combined with Penny entering his life caused him to become a changed man. But for her, it wasn't that.

Sheldon did regain most of his memories back. He knew about his routines and schedules, his now mild adversity with physical contact and germs, and pieces of his past. He isn't the same exact Sheldon before his accident, but he isn't a completely different person. Penny being beside him often caused him to realize things he hasn't before. He was- still is- learning new experiences, and she had a feeling that whatever they had right now is one of them.

Her hands gripped tighter on the steering wheel as she waited patiently for the light to turn green. Penny found out that she wasn't the best at doing commitments. It surprised the hell out of her that she and Tyler lasted so long. Most of her romantic relationships only lasted six months to a year. She was always looking for that zeal. That spark. That rush in her blood that keeps things interesting. Unfortunately, the men she dated didn't have that, and she lost feelings for them quicker.

Tyler and Sheldon are the two men in her life, excluding family members, that treated her like how she should be treated. Yes, Tyler was a little bit of an ass sometimes and brought her down once in a while, but he did care about her. He made sure that she was at her happiest, and did everything he could so she stayed that way. Both men made her feel wanted and loved. She wasn't just some blonde bimbo that sleeps with every man she could get her hands on. They looked past her physical appearance and only cared for the kind of person she is.

When she broke up with Tyler, her reaction was one thing she didn't expect. A long relationship like that gone all of a sudden should have ended with tears and yelling. But it was mutual. He loved her, she didn't, yet she wondered why. The answer was simple; she wasn't right for him. They were the perfect sexual match, she thought. Maybe that was the reason why she stayed with him. Penny chuckled under her breath. That was kind of a stupid reason.

But she couldn't picture him as her husband or as the father of her children. She loved him, except it wasn't the same love he had for her. The past eight months before they broke up was... boring. They rarely slept together or saw each other. He was more drawn into his work and family that it seemed like he didn't give enough effort to make time for her. It was almost as if they were in a friend-with-benefits relationship rather than a real one.

Sheldon. That Sheldon, now he's a flight risk. He is definitely not her usual type, but something about him made Penny think differently. It was probably his intelligence and his own way of caring for others. His quirks and nerdy interests in addition to his boyish-like innocence seemed cute to her. When she's around him, she felt like she was at her best. There's no way of telling on what's going to happen with Sheldon. He made things... interesting. Penny admired him greatly, even after knowing him for a short time.

When he revealed to her his true feelings, Penny became sort of lost. She cared about him so much and wanted him to be happy. He deserves to be happy, and being with her makes him so. It's not that she doesn't find him attractive. Penny cherishes her friendship with Sheldon, and past experiences told her that it was a rare thing to salvage a friendship with an ex. If one of them screws up, and then what? She can't afford to lose him.

Admitting to herself, Penny wanted to try. She wanted to see where things can go with this man. They're constantly in each others' presence and both clearly enjoy it. She could trust him with anything. With everything, truthfully.

That spark she had been searching for is present in Sheldon. The almost-kiss they shared not too long ago made her bones jump and her heart beat faster. She felt comfortable around him, and often wondering throughout the day if he's doing fine. Surely, she would miss the hell out of him if he ever did leave her life.

Penny blinked, and saw the traffic light change. She slowly pressed down on the accelerator and drove to her apartment. This was the first time she's in deep thought about Sheldon.

It wasn't just about looks with him. It's everything else that made him Sheldon.

His birthday is tomorrow, and she noticed she forgot to buy a present. Penny spent most of what free time she had planning a surprise for Sheldon. All the stores she passed by were closed, but there was one store at the end of the street with the lights still on and the doors still opened. It was past eleven at night and she really should be getting home. She drove past the store, but stopped in the middle of the street after seeing what they sold. Penny was sure to find something for Sheldon there, so she circled around and drove back to the front.

The next day...

Sheldon woke to the sound of his alarm clock beeping profusely. He cautiously got out of bed, slipping on his robe along with his slippers with a yawn. Reaching out for his phone on the night stand, he saw that he received a couple of text messages and voice mails. He spent a few minutes of his morning sitting on the edge of his mattress, reading and listening through all of what he was sent. Almost all of them were similar messages of one another.

Happy birthday, Shelly! I also expect a phone call 'cause it's my birthday as well (laughs). Well, Momma probably sent her birthday wishes already, but she was wondering if you could come down to Texas for maybe a week. George is back in the slammer again for six months since he thought drinking a bottle of hooch while driving his pickup truck was a good idea. Smart ass crashed through the front window of that cute cake shop ran by that Sampson family.

Did you see the new pictures I sent you of Billy? He's gonna grow up looking like his dad. He's about five months now and gotten bigger. Anyways, enough of good 'ole Texas. How are you? Momma told me about your accident and at first, I wanted to fly up with her. But Billy needs his mother so I just sent Momma my best wishes for you. I hope you're alright. Grandma, or you're Meemaw since that's what you call her, misses you. You needa swing on by soon. She's not getting any younger, and I think it'll be a good thing for her getting a visit from her favorite grandchild.

Well, again, happy birthday. I'm so proud of you and I'm still bragging to my friends 'bout you. My brother's a rocket scientist. Don't call me up just to correct me mister or I'll be happy to show you why you should have never said that. I gotta head out now, call us soon.

The voice mail ended and Sheldon couldn't help but smile after hearing the delightful message from Missy. He opened up the picture his sister sent and awed at the sight of his nephew in his mother's arms. Billy's showed off a huge grin and his bright blue eyes that run in the Cooper family. He quickly typed out a reply, saying that he'll see if he can visit in a couple of weeks.

The door to his bedroom opened and Leonard strolled in with two cups of tea for him and Sheldon. "Good morning, buddy. Happy birthday, too."

Sheldon graciously accepted his offering, taking a sip and savoring the warm tea running down his throat. "Thank you, Leonard."

"So, I was wondering, the week was up a couple of days ago and I want to know how you feel about this friendship beta test thing." Leonard said.

Thinking back to the last several days, Sheldon would have been lying if he said that he was insufferable. His roommate drove him to and from wherever he needed and wanted to go. Comic book and vintage video game night had been a blast. Raj and Howard joined them for those evenings and to them, it felt like the old times when it was just the four of them playing nerdy games till one in the morning.

He enjoyed the entire week, but in the back of his head, he still wondered if he was ready to trust Leonard. Sheldon thought that Leonard could have been a fake friend during the beta test run to get back on his good side. Raj gave his input, saying that this might be the calm before the storm and suggested that Sheldon should to extend the beta test just to make sure.

"Leonard, I'm not sure at this moment. Do you mind if you wait a little bit longer for me to come up with an answer?" Sheldon asked.

"Uhh, sure. Take all the time you need. Hey, listen. Penny slipped a note under the apartment door telling me to get you dressed up and ready to go. She'll be here by eleven," the shorter physicist responded.

"Thank you. I'll let you know as soon as I can."

Leonard left Sheldon inside his room afterwards. Listening to the last voice mail he received, he heard the voice of his mother.

Shelly, I wish you a very happy happy birthday. I remember the day when the Lord blessed me with two beautiful twins. One grew up to be a hostess at Fuddruckers turned secretary at a corporation, now married and with an adorable son. The other, an intelligent, remarkable, and exceptional theoretical physicist. I'm proud of you, Shelly, and even though I still pray to God for you to attend church and believe in His teachings, I love you, anyhow. Your father, God bless his soul, would have been extremely appreciative of his son if he wasn't so drunk all the time. George is in jail and I was wondering if you can visit us if you can. Meemaw will definitely love that.

Be responsible on your birthday, Shelly. I don't want a call from the police over at the land of the heathen saying my baby is drunk as a skunk. I'm sure that will never happen with you. You are a smart man, and don't do those kinds of things. Be careful, and let loose for once in your life.

Talk to your Momma as soon as you can.

Sheldon picked up the framed picture of him with his Meemaw. The memories of chocolate chip cookies, polishing her silver, and all the letters they exchanged with each other flew into his mind. He misses her dearly, and noted that he had to visit Texas soon.

Sheldon emerged later from the bathroom, and noticed a large black bag on top of the glass coffee table. Leonard had left the apartment for an unspecified reason while he was still in the shower. Still wearing his bathroom robe, Sheldon walked over to the living room area, inspecting the bag in front of him. A yellow sticky note was placed on the side reading:

Wear this and I'll pick you up from the apartment after. Grab your equipment as well.

-P

Intrigued, he peeked inside the bag, seeing the contents inside. Sheldon pulled out his paintball uniform and though he was confused, he went to his bedroom and changed into it. In the bag also contained his favorite paintball gun, knee and arm pads, his helmet, and shooting protection goggles. After suiting himself up, he headed back to the living room and saw Penny in a similar attire with her blonde hair up in a ponytail.

She smiled and he approached her. Reaching out for his hand, she dragged him outside the apartment and walked down to where her car was parked. Sheldon had questions, but decided to stay silent and have Penny drive them to wherever she planned to.

A/N:

I'm still alive, guys!

This will be part one out of three of Sheldon's birthday. I'll have the next chapter up in two days (hopefully) so bear with me here. I've been very busy lately with work, family, and college but I now have more time in my hands. Thank you for all your support as well as the reviews! Writer's block took over me and it was difficult to draw up a new chapter. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the Penny insight in the beginning. Honestly, that was the hardest part to write in this chapter.

Have a great day/night!