"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

-Moliere

The five were seated next to the bar area after entering the restaurant. Penny felt weird being a costumer rather than the waitress, but was happy with sitting next to Sheldon. They shared secret glances when they thought no one was looking, and held hands under the table as they ate. It was like a high school crush to Penny, and she loved that feeling. Every look and every touch she shared with Sheldon caused the butterflies in her stomach and nervousness. It didn't surprise her when one of her friends, also a waitress, stopped by their table to ask if she and Sheldon were a couple yet. She saw the man beside her blushed madly before giggling and mouthing a silent "no."

After much thought, she knew she was ready. If Penny didn't really want this, she would have told him to stop.

She never did, however.

She felt like she was playing with him and it was terrible for her to do that. Sheldon surely did not deserve to be strung along. The past few days made her think out what she really wanted in life. She had her acting career in her hands. Some directors asked her personally to read their script instead of her reaching out for them. If she has one particular role secured, she could finally quit her job as a waitress and live the life she dreamed of. Along with her career, she always wanted to have that kind of love that never burns out.

Penny wasn't in love with Sheldon. No. Not yet, hopefully. Being around him never made her bored. It was a different and exciting experience each time they hang out. Trying never hurts, doesn't it?

She tried with Tyler, and their relationship lasted more than high school which was a huge accomplishment. She was afraid of commitment but relieved when she knew she was capable of it.

Maybe being with Sheldon would be better than the time she spent with Tyler? She and Sheldon were like some weird chemical reaction. The spark is there and she was willing to see it further. It sounded cheesy to Penny, yet she didn't care.

For his birthday, she planned on telling him everything. Penny wanted him to know that she was ready for him. It would be a sweet gift for him since he still thought about her. He deserved to be told the truth after the things he experienced.

After all, shouldn't she be with the one person that made her the happiest?

Penny managed to shoo their other friends away from the table. Raj, Howard, and Wil knew what was going to happen so they left the restaurant early, but not before making Penny promise to tell them what happens next. She was shaking and trying to remain her composure. This was it. She's about to open the box and see what's in there for her. For both of them.

She silently watched as Sheldon scooped the hot fudge sundae with his spoon then putting it in his mouth. Sheldon noticed the look in her face and quickly swallowed the ice cream. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Penny muttered, cursing herself quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. I'm just in deep thought, that's all," she answered.

He resumed eating and Penny took one long breath in. Now or Never.

She reached across the table for Sheldon's hands and looked into his eyes. "Sheldon..."

"Hey, there," Penny was interrupted by a stranger sitting down next to her. He was holding a drink in his right hand while his left arm was draped across the back of the chair she sat on. His breath reeked of alcohol as he scooted closer. "You pretty lady sure caught my eye. I'm Joe, and you are?"

Joe was becoming too awfully close. Penny could feel his fingers brush against her arm, so she quickly snatched it from him. He stared down at her, and his harsh glare caused her to look away. She tried to push him away from her body, but he wouldn't move. "Please, leave me alone."

Sheldon stayed still across from her for a brief second, and when he opened his mouth to say something, he was shushed by the Neanderthal that was bothering his Penny.

"You want to have some fun?" His deep voice echoed in her ear as she slapped his hands that were about to touch her. Penny jumped out of her seat and started to step backwards, distancing herself from Joe. She would have showed him her sweet junior rodeo moves, but he was larger than anyone else she had encountered. There was no secret here. Penny was scared and intimidated, mostly because of his almost seven-foot frame and bigger than normal muscles. "Come on, baby. I'll make it worth your time."

"Excuse me, get your filthy hands away from her," Sheldon angrily shouted as he stood up, only to be towered by the sneering Joe. Sheldon swallowed the lump in his throat, but was determined to defend Penny, even if it involved some type of physical confrontation. Joe was a horrifying giant that frightened the theoretical physicist. However, Sheldon knew that he had to protect her, knowing that if they ever did get together, that was one of his responsibilities as a boyfriend.

Joe scoffed. "Or what?"

Penny noticed Sheldon starting to sweat and his hands shaking. "I-I-I'll call the police!"

"Joe, just leave the guy alone and get the girl. I doubt that scrawny kid will start something with you," a voice from the bar called out and Joe turned his body back to Penny.

"I'll buy you a couple of drinks and we'll head on to my place. My friends and I will enjoy playing with you," Penny felt disgusted as Joe ran his eyes up and down her body. If this was his way of taking girls home, she knew for sure that he never came home with one.

"What the hell?" Joe said as he felt a small push on the middle of his back. He looked behind him to see Sheldon clenching his fist tightly to his sides.

"I said leave her alone," Sheldon sounded extremely furious which Penny had never heard before.

Joe laughed. "Is this some kind of a joke? You kid better behave or I'll call your mommy on you. I mean who wears superhero t-shirts? Whatever, take that slut with you. She ain't even that hot. She's probably a prostitute to get some action."

Penny stared at Joe, but was too late to stop Sheldon from pushing him once more.

"You take that back!"

She signaled him to stop, but Sheldon needed to defend her dignity, so he ignored it. His voice was shaky and laced with fear as he tried to speak. "Penny is not a slut. She doesn't need any of your disrespect and you, sir, are just some steroid-infused meat head with a lack of sense. You may be tall and strong, but your head is not in the right place."

There was a long pause before Joe swung his fist and made contact with Sheldon's head. Penny gasped as her friend fell down to the ground as a security guard rushed in and held Joe back. She knelt down on the floor and shook Sheldon's body a few times. "Sheldon, sweetie, are you awake?"

Penny heard him mumble something as she watched a bruise form on Sheldon's left temple.

"Ma'am, is he alright?" The guard asked as more men came over and tightened their hold of Joe to prevent him from moving.

Sheldon got up from the floor, using the chair to support his weight as he stood on his two feet. His eyes were running throughout the room and Penny could have sworn that he was about to pass out. "I'm fine. I just want to go home."

"Do you want to go to the hospital? That doesn't look fine-"

He shook his head for a second before steadying himself. "No, thank you. It'll only be a headache Penny. I can sleep it off."

Penny nodded and escorted Sheldon out of the restaurant then into her car. He fell asleep a few moments later as she drove back to his apartment. It was rather unfortunate for him to get hurt the third time, but she was touched that he defended her even though he saw how strong Joe was. She was thankful for that, but he didn't need to do such thing. Look at what happened to him now.

She dialed Leonard's number once she reached the apartment and they carried his unconscious body up the wanted him to get checked by a doctor, only to be reminded that Sheldon had enough of hospitals. They carefully laid him on his bed and waited until Raj and Howard came over. The two were informed by Leonard about Sheldon's condition and they wanted to make sure he was fine. Meanwhile, Sheldon was peacefully asleep and seemed to have no trouble at all, but the bruise that had formed on his head said otherwise.

Penny sat on the edge of his bed and tears started to drop. How could she had let this happen?

Sheldon opened his eyes, a pounding headache causing him to groan and shut them back tightly. His head hurt and was shaken by the thought of his brain being damaged. He heard soft murmurs in the background and it caused him to reopen his eyes cautiously. Around him was Penny, Leonard, Raj, and Howard, and he slowly sat up on his bed.

He glanced all over the room before settling his eyes back to the others in the room.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" Leonard asked.

It was quiet, and for a moment, Penny was scared that he lost his memory again.

Sheldon's voice came out as a whisper, but since everyone was so close to him, they were able to hear him clearly.

"There are four people in my room. No one is supposed to be in my room."

They all started to look at each other as the realized what has now happened to him, and all Penny could do was excuse herself out of Sheldon's bedroom.

A/N:

I debated over and over how I wanted this chapter to end. This is the final decision and I'm fine with it. Yes, it was all happy and fun the past two chapters, but believe that life isn't always filled with sunshine and happiness. There are obstacles we need to overcome, and Sheldon's memory returning is one for the story. It was a possibility that the characters seemed to ignore until now. I do like a good drama from time to time though.

Anyways, I hoped that you enjoyed reading this chapter. And I promise that this will be the last time I hurt Sheldon physically. Also, no one is trying to kill him in the story. He just has very bad luck here.

New chapter will be up in a few days and it'll deal with how Penny's reacting to this change.

A little note: I wrote the next five chapters already and I'm proud that I accomplished that under a short amount of time :)