Sheldon Lee was fast asleep in bed, when he was awoken by knocking at his front door. Knowing his parents were on vacation and both had a house key anyways, he chose to simply ignore the knocking and try to get some sleep. After 10 minutes though, the knocking clearly wasn't going away any time soon. Begrudgingly, he got out of bed, putting back on the pajama shirt he'd taken off due to the heat of the summer night air. "All right, all right, I'm coming!" He yelled as he walked down the stairs, rubbing his drowsy eyes. "Who could be bothering me at this hour?" he thought. "It's almost 2:00 in the morning…"

When he finally unlocked the door, he gasped at what he saw. His dear friend, Jenny Wakeman. The robot, designated as "XJ9" by her creator- and mother- Dr. Nora Wakeman, someone he respected immensely. The local town superhero. His biggest crush. Here she stood, on his doorstep, broken and battered. She had come to him for repairs of course, but never this late- and never in this bad of a shape. She was holding her left hand in her right- as in, it had completely severed- and her chest looked crushed severely beaten. One of her pigtails had been completely bent in a way he had no idea it even could bend. Not to mention the numerous missing screws along various points of her body.

"Hey, Sheldon," she said with a weak smile, clearly in pain.

"Jenny!" he exclaimed in a panic, all his drowsiness suddenly gone. "W-what happened?! I've never seen you like this!"

"Oh, you missed it!" she said with a slight laugh. "See, this purple haired lady with a skull mask came into downtown Tremorton and called me out to a fight. I figured it would be easy, but then she sicked this giant… octopus? Squid? I don't know, all I know is it was giant, had slimy tentacles, and took like, eight hours for me to defeat." She sighed. "And, well, things kinda turned out… with me looking like this. I did defeat it though! And that weird girl just ran away at some point. I think she was taking pictures…"

Sheldon tried very hard not to blush at the idea of Jenny fighting some giant tentacle monster. He shook his head. "You gotta be more careful, Jen! Like I said, I've never seen you this bruised up before."

"It's ok, Sheldon, it's not that bad-" Before she could continue, her head popped off her body, though Sheldon quickly caught it as her body stood limp, dropping the hand to the ground with a clatter.

Sheldon blinked in surprise, both at the sudden pop-off of her head and how quick his reaction time was. He looked down at her face in his hands and gave her a worried look. "…Ok," Jenny said with embarrassment. "I guess it is that bad." She let out an embarrassed laugh. "Umm… I actually came to ask if you'd be willing to… you know, maybe… give me some repairs?"

Sheldon stared at her for a moment, then let out a sigh and smiled at her. "Sure thing, Jen." He looked up. "I, uh… don't know if I have the strength to move that thing on my own… you don't mind if I use a wheelbarrow, do you?"

She tried to shake her head, before realizing she couldn't. "Of course not," she said with a smile. "Just, uh, you know. Be careful, will you? There's a lot of delicate circuitry in there."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Jenny watched from a side table as Sheldon worked on repairing her body from the main table in his garage. Having just finished rewriting her hand to her arm, he was wearing his welder's mask and working on connecting the hand back to the rest of her body. She watched him in awe as the sparks flew by. Usually, she was in sleep mode when he did repairs like this, so she never got to see him work that often. As he worked, she couldn't help but notice the amount of care and respect he paid to her.

Not wanting to interrupt his work, she instead stayed there in silence. Not like she could do much else, seeing as she was currently just a head. To pass the time, she thought to herself. At first, it was what she was going to tell her mom. She hadn't been home since morning, and now it was, well, morning, technically. She was probably worried sick, pacing back and forth in the living room. Soon, though, her thoughts drifted to Sheldon. He didn't have to help her out like this, especially so late at night. He really was a nice guy.

She was, of course, aware of his crush on her. It wasn't exactly a secret. But that clearly wasn't the main reason he was nice to her. He cared about her. Not just as a machine, as a person. He was the only person at school- aside from Brad and his little brother Tuck, that is- who saw her as a person when she first arrived at school and not some… freak. "And how have I repaid him?" she thought. "By abandoning him in space for 90 years, giving him to space pirates when he got turned into an infant, yelling at him… have I ever said a simple thank you to him?" She looked down at the ground, upset with herself. "Mom told me how helped out with Cluster Prime, and I never thanked him for that either. In fact… I don't think I hugged him like I hugged the others, either."

"Jenny, are you alright?" Sheldon asked, pulling up his visor and snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him and gave a half-hearted smile.

"Ah, yeah," the robot girl replied. "I'm just thinking is all. Mom must be mad at me for being this late…"

"Oh, don't worry about that! I gave her a call and explained the situation when I was grabbing some tools from my room earlier."

"Of course you did," she thought. "You're way too considerate for someone like me."

Jenny smiled. "Thanks, Sheldon. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. She said it's ok if you just wanna rest here for the night, but you have to get a full diagnosis done in the morning."

"Of course," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Nice of her to let me stay here though, I guess."

"Yeah."

The two looked at each other for a minute, not saying a word. "Ummm…" Sheldon spoke at last, "I think I've fixed the chest plate enough so that I can put your head back on. You know, if you want."

Jenny giggled. "Of course I want my head back on my body, silly! Come over here and get to work!"

"You got it, Jenny!" He picked up her head and walked over to the table that held the rest of her body.

Pulling down his welding visor, he began to work on rewiring the circuits in her neck twisting her head back on and welding it into place. The whole time, Jenny just laid back and watched him work. Well, at least she did when she wasn't having her head spun around, that is. Her mind once again drifted to the guy in front of her. He had tried to warn her about the agency, and what did she do? Attack him. She let herself become blinded by rage and wouldn't hear him out. Sure, he had joined them as a member, but they hadn't told them what they were really up to. But once again, she didn't care and just assumed the worst in him. Why?

"Ok," Sheldon said as he lifted his visor once more, "try to move your body now."

Jenny obliged, and tried to move. She could lift her arms up just fine- albeit, it was a little harder to lift them than normal- but she could barely lift her legs. The boy scratched his head. "Hmmm… are you feeling light headed or woozy at all?"

She thought for a moment, before nodding her head slowly. "A little bit, yeah," she said weakly.

"Hang on, I got just the thing." He pulled out and closed a few drawers on a nearby work table before finally finding what he was looking for. He pulled out a small can of oil and, after searching a few more drawers, opened up the top and put a straw in it. He walked back over to her and helped lift her up a little, just enough so her arms could support the weight.

"Here," he said, handing the can over to her. "Your energy levels must be really low after that big fight. Drink up and restore some of your strength, ok?"

Jenny nodded and took the can from him. As she sipped the oil out of the straw, she couldn't help but wonder if he just happened to keep the cans there for his inventions or in case she ever needed it for times like this.

"Screw it," she thought, "might as well just ask."

"Hey, Sheldon?" Jenny asked. "Where'd you get this oil from?"

The boy froze for a moment, like a deer in headlights. "Well, uh…" he stuttered. "You remember that one time you were hanging out with Brad, Tuck and I as I fixed up a dent in your arm and you said 'wow, I've got such a killer thirst right now, could one of you go to my house and fetch an oil can from mom?' and then I had to explain to Brad and Tuck that you were talking about oil not water, and that you being low on energy was like if they were dehydrated, and then you said 'guys, knock it off with the nerd speak, I'm dying over here!' and then Tuck said 'Oh no! We can let Jenny die! Come on, Brad!' and practically dragged his brother all the way to your house and back and your mom called me and wanted to make sure you weren't like, actually dead because Tuck was telling her you were-"

"Yes!" Jenny said impatiently, not wanting to be reminded of the whole ordeal again. "Yes, I remember that. Why?"

"Well, uh, I figured it would be good to keep some oil cans over here to prevent something like that from happening again." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Or, uh, you know, in case you were just thirsty in general, I guess."

"I see…" Jenny pressed the straw to her mouth again. "That's… really thoughtful of you, Sheldon."

He looked away, blushing a little. "D-don't mention it."

They sat in silence for a bit as Jenny chugged down her drink and allowed herself to recharge. As soon as she was able to move her legs again, she sat up, allowing her legs to hang over the table. "Anything else needs to be done?" She asked him.

"Uh," Sheldon muttered as he looked over at her. "If you're ok with your mother seeing you like that, then I guess not," he said jokingly.

Jenny looked down, only to see part of her torso was still mangled. She scratched her head in confusion. "I swear I felt that earlier, but now…"

"Don't worry, Jen, this shouldn't take too much longer. As for feeling and pain, maybe you knew how bad of shape you were in and tricked yourself into feeling it? Combined with your low energy, it could be possible."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Do you need me to lie down again?"

"Nah, I'd actually like you to stand up for this, if you don't mind."

"Of course."

She stood up and Sheldon began to examine her. It wasn't long before he pulled his visor back down and began welding some scrapped metal together and banged at parts of her torso with a hammer to flatten them back out. As much as she tried to stand up straight, he still had to ask her to readjust a few times so he didn't mess up. After almost forty-five minutes had passed, he finally finished fixing her. "Done now?" Jenny asked.

"Just got one small thing," he said as he reached for a pair of black, metal tongs while he applied immense heat to one of her metal pigtails. Seeing that they were just out of reach and, worried he would fall over and set the whole house and himself on fire, she extended her arm out to grab it for him.

"Thanks," he said as he grabbed them from her.

"If you need help, just ask. Just because I'm a little beat up doesn't mean I can't help out, you know."

"You were way past 'a little' beat up there, Jenny," Sheldon sighed as he began to carefully use the tongs to bend her pigtail back into place. "I can only imagine what your mom would've said if she'd seen you like that."

"She'd probably say my model name dramatically like she usually does," she joked.

"Yeah…" As he held up the pigtail in place, he suddenly realized he'd have to stand there for a bit while the metal cooled down. Deciding to continue their chat while they wait, he asked, "Does that… bother you at all?"

"Huh?" Jenny asked, trying to look at the boy behind her without moving her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you know, being called 'XJ9' instead of 'Jenny.' Does that bother you at all?"

After a moment of pause, she said, "Well… not usually, I guess. I mean, most of the time no, not really. I know she means well, and she's just saying what she's called me most of my life. So, no, I guess it doesn't bother me that much."

"What about when it does? How do you feel when it does hurt?"

"Well… I guess, you know. Jenny Wakeman sounds more like a person's name, right? And robots have only recently started to get civil rights, and she's been a big fighter for them. So, when she calls me XJ9, it feels… I don't know. Sometimes it makes me feel more like a machine than a person, I guess."

"You should tell her that."

Jenny sighed. "I don't know, Sheldon. What if she says I'm just overreacting or something?"

"I don't think she'll do that. She's a good mother to you, even a little overprotective maybe." He paused. "Don't tell her I said that. Please."

"Don't worry, your secret true opinions of her are safe with me," she replied with a smile.

"Ugh…" He already knew the look she was giving without having to see it. "It's not like that and you know it."

"I'm just teasing you, silly." Her smile faded away as she got back to the topic at hand. "I just… I don't know. I'm scared, I guess. Of something going wrong."

Sheldon thought for a moment. "Tell ya what," he said at last, "I'll provide you back-up."

"…What?" Even though he couldn't see it, he knew she had a look of confusion plastered on her face.

"Well, I mean you know, like, uh…" He took a bit to gather his thoughts. "Think of it like a battle. It's better with more people on your side, right? So like, when you talk to her, I could be there for support. Brad too." He paused to think for a minute before continuing. "Tuck might be too young, though."

"Why?"

"Well, uh…"

"Yeah, why?" he thought. "I can't think of a good reason, can you? Of course not, you're me and I'm talking to myself in my head. Again."

"…Yeah, no I got nothing," He said as he swapped which arm was supporting the tongs. "I don't see why he can't back you up, either."

"That's what a thought," she said confidently. "Hmm… maybe, I guess that could work. I'll talk it over with them some time. And…" She took a deep breath. "I… promise I won't exclude you, ok?"

"Hmm?" Sheldon gave a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that… you know, I haven't really included you in things all that much, have I? It seems like I'm always leaving you out when I invite Brad and Tuck to do things. I don't really have an excuse for it, I don't even know why it do it to begin with. It just kinda… happens. I don't think I realized it until recently."

"Oh, I see…"

After a brief bit of pause, Sheldon continued. "It's really not that big of a deal, you know. I'm just happy to help." He put the tongs down. "Ok, I think it will stay in place, just don't bend it while it cools." Taking off his welder's mask and setting it on the table, he asked, "Do you mind if I fix your paint job tomorrow? I think we're both pretty tired right now, and I don't want you to wait for the paint to dry before turning in for the night."

"That's alright with me," Jenny replied. "Thank you Sheldon, seriously. I… don't think I say that enough."

"It's really no big deal, don't mention it!"

"No, Sheldon. It is a big deal."

Jenny turned around to face her friend. It was clear to him something was wrong with the unusually solemn look on her face. "Jenny?" he asked, concerned in his voice. "Are you alright?"

She couldn't hold back. Tears of oil began to line her metallic cheeks. "Oh, Sheldon," she sobbed, "I've been such a terrible friend to you, haven't I?"

As she brought her hands to her face, her friend was taken aback. "Wh-what? No! Jenny, you're awesome!" He stepped closer to her, putting his hands on her shoulder. "You're amazing, Jenny, I mean that."

"But what about when I abandoned you in space for ninety years?" she said through tears. "What about giving you over to the space pirates when you got turned into an infant? What about not thanking you for all the work you did on Cluster Prime? What about how I… I…" She choked up, unable to say it. "After I found out you worked for that agency, and I-"

"JENNY!" Sheldon shouted, snapping her attention to him. "It's alright. We've talked about that stuff before. Besides, I… haven't been that great of a friend either."

Jenny blinked in confusion. "What? But… you were the person I met at school who didn't treat me like a freak. You were the only one who didn't think I had went rouge and were convinced someone had been controlling me. You-"

"I was the one who stole your plans."

She froze up. "That-"

"I was the one who stalked you. I was the one who joined the agency. I was the one who led the Space Pirates in an act of revenge. I was the one who disguised myself as a robot, just to try and get closer to you."

Jenny winced, remembering how much of a shock it was when she fought alongside Silver Shell, only for him to seemingly take a mortal blow for her. When she saw Sheldon knocked out cold at a control panel in the middle of the chest that had a newly formed hole in it, a massive influx of emotions overtook her to the point she almost had a meltdown.

"But… we talked about that…" she muttered.

"Yeah. But that doesn't change that it was wrong of me."

Sheldon gave her a hug, letting her cry on his shoulder. Or rather, head, since she was a foot taller than him. "We've both done some bad things, and we've both done some good things," he whispered. "It's all worked out in the end. We're still friends. We're still here. It's alright, Jenny."

The robot girl hugged him a little tighter. "I'm glad you're here," she muttered under her breath. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't, Jen. You won't."

The two let go of each other, softly smiling at each other.

"Thank you, Sheldon."

"Any time, Jenny."

Suddenly, Jenny began to feel something mechanical in her chest move in a way it hadn't before. It was almost like a rhythmic beat. She glanced down at her chest in surprise.

"What's up?" Sheldon asked in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

Not sure of what to say, Jenny grabbed his hand pressed it to her chest. As soon as she did, he felt it.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

The rhythm of a metallic heartbeat, lightly vibrating. After taking a moment to let it sink in, he looked up at her and smiled. Without a word, he grabbed her free hand with his own and pressed it against the left side of his chest.

Ba-bump. Ba-Bump. Ba-Bump.

His own, organic heartbeat, matching hers. He smiled sheepishly, blushing a little. Jenny smiled back. "Do… do I…?" she thought. "…Yeah, I think I should. He's earned it. And… he is… kinda cute, isn't he? In a geeky way at least."

Before long, the two of them were sharing a kiss. She'd kissed him on the cheek a few times, sure, but never on the lips. Sheldon had dreamt about this moment, but had long given up hope of it ever happening. When they broke apart, he cursed himself for not having an infinite air capacity so it would have lasted longer. He stared into her eyes, love struck and totally at peace. Jenny smiled at him and giggled at the goofy look he had.

"Wow…" Sheldon muttered, a little dazed.

"You're not such a bad guy, Sheldon," Jenny said to him. "I don't… know if I'm really willing to start a long term relationship just yet, but… I really like you. I like you a lot. Whenever I am ready… I hope you'll wait for me."

He let out a small sad sigh. "I wish you were ready… but I totally understand. I'll wait, Jenny." A warm smile crossed his lips. "I'll wait for you."

"Good. You're a very important person to me, Shell. I… I love you."

"I've loved you since the day I met you."

Jenny smirked. "I'm well aware of that, Shell."

The two of them stood together for a bit, admiring each other's company, before heading back into his house to get ready for bed.

Author's Note: This is my interpretation of an animatic released by an... infamous animator's that he posted during a twitter conversation with one of the show's original crew members. The enemy Jenny fought was a nod to that. I am still working on THHYF, just needed a break from it. I might continue this story in the future as another one-shot. Hope you enjoyed. Love you all. See you all later.