After the alien story I realized Sheldon probably wouldn't have cared for a situation where Penny was the one with the plan. He's too much of a control freak.

:EMP:

No one was sure who did it. All they knew for sure was that someone had. Nuclear warheads were detonated high in the atmosphere and the resulting EMPs had wiped out the world's technology.

Penny stood in the kitchen of 4A and surveyed the boys. Leonard, Howard and Raj were huddled around the table trying to build a power source. Sheldon sat at his desk and stared at his dead laptop. Her sweet, genius neighbors were lost without their gadgets. She sighed as she set out some food for them. She had scavenged canned meats and bread for sandwiches and some chips. Most stores had been looted and picked clean. She needed to get them moving. They couldn't stay here. They would starve or be killed by looters.

She set plates on the table for the trio, and moved to Sheldon's side. "Sweetie, you need to eat."

Sheldon glared. "No, what I need is to think, which I cannot do with you hovering over me."

She cringed from his anger momentarily. "Sheldon, sitting here isn't doing you any good. You have to eat to stay strong. You have to stay strong to find a way to fix this. Please. I'm worried about you."

"I don't want you worrying about me. I don't want you doing anything for me. I don't need you. None of us need you." Sheldon jumped up from his chair and stormed off.

Penny leaned against his desk for a moment. She peeked over at the others and saw their looks of pity. It was too much for her. She walked out and went into her own apartment. Penny leaned against her door. In the two weeks since the EMP he had been getting steadily more hateful and angry with her. Only with her. He still treated the guys the same. He still treated Amy and Bernadette the same. It was only her he wanted gone. She looked into the bedroom where her two girlfriends slept peacefully.

Penny had to leave. She couldn't stand the way he treated her anymore. Sheldon didn't need or want her. She felt her heart break as she replayed his words. Silently she gathered a few possessions. The first Penny Blossom he had made. The photos of them at Disneyland. The photos of the guys at the Renaissance Fair and one of the three women at a club. A couple bottles of water and a handful of granola bars also went into her bag. She changed into jeans, a long sleeved thermal shirt she had filched from him without his knowledge, and comfortable sneakers. She shoved her hair up into a hat and walked to the counter. She left a short note and walked away.

She was confident Amy and Bernadette would take care of the boys. They were as sensible as she was when it came to survival. Penny walked down the stairs without looking back. If she did, she wouldn't be able to go. If she had, she would have seen a teary Raj watching her go.

Raj didn't tell them until the next morning. He had watched her go and then found her note. He put it in his pocket and waited. He wanted to give her plenty of time. She deserved that, at the very least. It was nearing lunch time and the group was starting to get worried. They were used to Penny being gone for hours. She was often scavenging, and that took time, but she had never been gone this long. Amy was just posing the suggestion that they should go look for her when Raj stood and pulled the paper from his pocket. He cleared his throat and began reading.

I'm not wanted here. I don't know why, but since it seems to be the case, I have decided to remove myself. Please take care of each other, and of Sheldon. He doesn't always look after himself as well as he should. He shoulders too much of the weight of the world. I wish you all the best. Know that though I leave with a heavy heart, I'll never forget you all. I love you all. But I never really fit in, I guess.

Raj folded the note again and shoved it in Sheldon's hands. Amy was weeping softly, while the others just looked shocked. Bernadette looked at her husband sadly.

"What did she mean she wasn't wanted?" she asked sadly.

Howard glared at Sheldon's retreating back. "It's what he said. He screamed it at her yesterday. She wasn't needed, or wanted here." They heard Sheldon's bedroom door slam shut. "He just snapped at her, like he's been doing for days. Tore her down just because she tried to get him to eat."

A loud crashing noise startled them. They rushed back to Sheldon's room. More loud bangs made them jump. Slowly Leonard reached out and opened the door. Sheldon had destroyed his room. The DNA model was overturned, he had pulled down his book shelves. Sheldon stood in the middle of the room, fists clenched at his side.

"I lied," he said softly. "I do need her. I do want her. I shouldn't though. All my plans. All my preparations. It should be me protecting the group, providing for us. Providing for her. But I couldn't. She is the strong one."

Amy moved into the room, careful of the broken piece of lamp. "Sheldon, you said you want her. You love her, don't you?"

He hesitated before he turned to face them all. The stark pain and despair in his eyes was hard to look at. "Since the moment I met her. But Leonard claimed her first. It took a long time to realize how wrong that was. I had never wanted to love anyone, so I fought it. I love her regardless. What do I do?"

Leonard took a deep breath. "We fix the world. Then we find her."

She was sitting in her tiny garden sipping tea when she saw them coming up the road. It had been 8 years but she had no trouble recognizing them. Two years ago the machines had begun working again. It took another year before she found out the guys she had known had played a huge role in that, along with engineers from across the world. Not that she cared about the technology. She had carved out a small home for herself here in Kentucky. A cousin had a large tract of land and had given her a corner of it. She had her little house, just a large 12X16 preassembled storage barn, really. But she had converted it. She put in insulation and walls. Her neighbor helped her run pipes for a hand pumped sink. It was only large enough for a tiny kitchen, a tiny bathroom, a loft bed over the bathroom, a small table and an armchair. A wood stove provided heat and a way to cook. She had a small garden and a couple of chickens. She had gotten the idea from a magazine she had seen. Some article about Tiny Homes. She loved it. It was hers.

She stayed in her seat as they came closer. She looked them over carefully. They had all aged. Raj was smiling at her. Howard and Bernadette were holding hands. Surprisingly, so were Leonard and Amy. Amy was changed the most. Her hair was shorter, she wore slacks and a blouse, not the layers she once bundled up in. Sheldon had a bit of gray at his temples and a Flash t-shirt. When they reached the small fence that she had her beans growing against, she stood.

Everyone stopped just inside the fence. Except Sheldon. She watched warily as he strode forward with purpose. She opened her mouth to say hello, but he grabbed her around the waist and jerked her forward. In an instant she found herself crushed against him as he kissed her senseless. Everything dropped away but the two of them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and relaxed into him. She had no idea how long he held her. Minutes? Hours? Days? All she knew was that she never wanted him to let go. If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up.

Slowly he dragged his lips across her cheek to her neck. "Penny, Penny, Penny," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I came as soon as I could."

She pulled away and smiled up at him. She had grown a lot in the last eight years. "Took you long enough."

The first time I saw Tiny Homes, I was in love. They're like the little club house I had as a kid. My dad made it from scrap plywood and old doors from an apartment house that he helped demolish. I used that little house until I was 15 and discovered boys. *cough, gasp, mumbled number* years later and I miss it.