Sheldon was able to get two lawn chairs from a store nearby and well, it was better than nothing.

"Okay Sheldon, we've got a lot of things to do. Getting beds should be at the top of the list. BUT, priority number 1 is getting jobs."

Sheldon simply looked at her expectantly and with a tilted head. 'That's cute.' But he didn't say anything else.

"As in, any ideas are welcome…"

"Oh! Well, I will go tomorrow to Caltech and present my credentials as well as express my interest in pursuing my second PhD there."

"Okay, awesome, that's great!." He really did look proud. "But I was asking for help. To be more precise, I don't know what job would be good for me."

"Oh, then why didn't you just say so?"

"…" Okay she liked Sheldon a lot but she was not a fan of this. "Yeah, this is me asking?"

"Well, do you have any special skills?"

"Uhhh, like being able to ride a horse?"

"Exactly like that."

Penny has to take a moment to think it through thoroughly "I can do that, ride a horse I mean. Ummm I did Junior Rodeo so I know all of that jazz, tie-down roping, bareback riding, breakaway roping. I know how to shoot. I can disassemble and reassemble the engine on a tractor…I can drive a tractor. I know how to castrate sheep. I can do any farm work." Penny has to sit down as she continues thinking about her skills.

"I did some baton twirling as a cheerleader as well as some gymnastics. And…I think that's it."

Sheldon nods along with every thing she listed. She was about to list the sex stuff, but doesn't want that to define her current self. Penny is not in a place to have sex at the moment, it's tied to bad memories, not traumatic but she can do without sex for a while, she doesn't want to date either. Not after Kurt.

And if she were to date…She very deliberately doesn't look at Sheldon as her face warms a little.

"What is your goal? Do you want to act or do you want to be famous?" Sheldon's face is honest, he's not baiting her or making fun of her dream.

"I like acting. Of course I wouldn't mind being famous but I guess that I can say that fame isn't exactly my end goal. I would like to be able to make a living from acting and just be happy."

"I see." Sheldon had this very intense face he made when focusing and Penny really liked it. "There are several avenues that you can explore. Voice acting is at the top of the list, you have a very appealing voice. There is also an entire industry for background actors which would also expose you to directors and producers. Theater is an underrated avenue, though it requires more effort and dedication, not to mention time. Videogames have a budding acting industry."

"Wouldn't voice acting and videogames would be the same thing tho?"

"Not necessarily, while it's true that some people lend both their likeness and voice to characters, there's still people that are needed for body tracking, stunts, etc. After all, someone has to play the 'bad guys' as well."

"And what do you think it's the best approach?"

"I believe that excluding Theater, you could try for all other avenues at the same time. Theater requires a commitment of time and effort as mentioned before, trying to focus on Theater and another avenue would lead you to not excelling at neither." Sheldon rubbed his knuckles as he thought seriously about her situation. She had noticed him do that when focusing deeply on something.

"I see. Thank you Sheldon."

"You're welcome." A small happy smile sat on his face.

Penny needed to think about this, she didn't have a problem with just getting a customer service job or maybe waitressing, but it didn't feel like it would necessarily bring her closer to her dream. And Sheldon was always so happy to help.

She really was one lucky girl.

"Penny. While I am more than happy to help you practice lines. Are you sure this script is for an actual movie? It's too…racy, isn't it?"

In the 2 months they have been living together Penny had found that Sheldon was more than willing to help her if she simply asked. And running lines with Sheldon had quickly become one of her favorite activities. He was always serious and would help her improve and give her feedback.

"Yes Sheldon, it's for a classic. Haven't you ever watched Pulp Fiction?"

"Can't say that I have, No."

"Okay, we'll watch it next movie night. But for now, chop chop, start reading."

Sheldon sighed in pure exhaustion but true to himself he got into character a moment later.

"What the fuck is this place?" Sheldon's accent always comes out when he curses.

"This is Jackrabbit Slim's. An Elvis man should love it." Penny didn't want to channel Uma Thurman's performance, she tried to imagine how she could have played this in her own way.

"Come on Mia, let's go get a steak."

"You can get a steak here, daddy-o. Don't be a…" Penny draws a square in the air using her hands."

"After you kitty-cat." Wow, she never thought Sheldon could blush like that.

"And CUT. Thank you Sheldon!"

Sheldon smiled at her until her next words.

"Now jump to page 35"

Sheldon reads it and groans "Really, the French fox?" He looks so done.

Penny laughs and she can honestly say that she's been happier these past 2 months living with Sheldon than at any time living in Omaha.

Sheldon was happy, it had been 4 months since they moved in to Los Robles and so far his plans were well underway. Caltech had been happy to receive him, more than happy actually, they had even set up a whole event celebrating 'The return of Dr. Sheldon Cooper to Academia.'

He didn't want to attend but Penny told him that she would be his date and that made the evening more tolerable. Sheldon found that if he spent the night glued to Penny's side then most people would give him an indulging smile and let him go after a few words.

Penny had also made strides in this time, she had been surprised at how easy it was to get a job as a background character in sitcoms and movies. She liked how for one show she would wear many different shirts, dresses, wigs, all to try and make her look like a different background character.

The pay wasn't much but thankfully the jobs were plentiful and recently she was able to break through in voice acting as well. A small role in a cartoon called 'As told by Ginger' but Penny was beyond ecstatic, Sheldon hadn't mentioned this but he was hopeful this would be the start to a great career for her.

His own efforts had not been any less successful, he was well on his way to earn his second PhD, he predicted that by the end of the year he'd be able to hold his second Doctorate.

Sheldon had never neglected his education and Caltech was more than happy to accommodate him, and while he didn't exactly love teaching, he only had 3 classes to teach a week which made it more tolerable than if it were 3 classes a day like some of his colleagues.

Penny had suggested he record some classes at home so if he felt that he had hit the ceiling of his socialization gauge, he could simply play it. He hadn't felt the need to play one yet but it was not a bad idea.

Sheldon was really happy with the way his life was going.

He of course had sent Georgie the money so he could handle everything and Sheldon could forget about the stranger wearing his father's face. Not having the yoke of his father around his neck made Sheldon appreciate life more. He allowed himself to be dragged by Penny every weekend to throw a football at the park, while before football would bring memories of his father shooting at the TV as his team lost, recently he found himself thinking instead of how Penny would throw the ball while laughing.

They would run lines together and Sheldon found himself fascinated by the many expressions of Penny. He had started to catalog his favorite ones without meaning to.

Fascinating.

Penny had found a love for voice acting. Of course she was still trying the regular auditions but she wouldn't mind if her acting career was only voice based.

She'd been doing voices mainly for morning cartoons but recently there was a big buzz, a new big time cartoon was being made, one rumored to be for the Mouse company. Penny loved Disney movies and she was going to try out for the show, this could be her in to be in a Disney movie.

"You got this Penny." She liked talking to herself right before an audition, it made her feel stronger and like Sheldon was next to her.

Sheldon had just received his second Doctorate. It only took 10 months. He was now a double PhD and he felt satisfied. He almost felt complete.

Their life in Pasadena has been good so far. It felt good to get home and knowing someone would be there…metaphorically speaking of course. Penny was working really hard and sometimes she'd be working for 24 hours straight. But her smile was full of life and each new role she'd get would light a fire under her. Sheldon was really proud of her.

Her smile defied science, it could light up a room.

Sheldon didn't want to stagnate either, so he started working on his magnum opus, Sheldon was going to create an Unifying Theory. Eventually.

He was perfectly aware that he was barely scratching the surface of something much bigger than himself, possibly a life endeavor. And he was excited about it.

Penny was fidgeting in the elevator, it couldn't arrive on her floor soon enough. She had to tell Sheldon the great news or she would explode into a million pieces. This was it. It'd been a little over a year since she arrived in California and her efforts were paying off.

As the elevator doors opened to the 4th floor landing Penny was already running on her feet, and then out of the elevator, quickly opening her door she looked for her Wackadoodle. Sheldon was standing in the kitchen and he was serving two plates, he had found a love for cooking and she encouraged it.

"Sheldon!" Penny knew that the squee was so high that it might hurt his acute hearing but she couldn't contain herself.

Sheldon simply raised an eyebrow and calmly replied "Penny?" Wackadoodle.

"I got it!" Penny started jumping in place before launching herself at Sheldon and hugging him tightly with all 4 limbs, she probably looked like a monkey but she didn't care. Sheldon for his part only held her by the hips.

"The role of the recurring enemy girl?" He was also getting excited, she hadn't stopped talking about how she really wanted this show, he knew how much she loved Disney. She had found a love for voice acting and this would be her first big recurring role."

"Nope" Penny popped the P and her smile was as big as it ever had been.

"Forgive me Penny, but I'm confused, I thought you wanted this role?" He looked really cute when confused.

"I did. Until they offered me the role of the protagonist. You have in your arms the voice of Kim Possible!" Penny couldn't stop squeeing, she was just so excited.

Sheldon finally hugged her properly and twirled her for a moment "Congratulations! You've worked really hard for this. I'm proud of you."

Penny knew that Sheldon only said things that he meant and him saying that he was proud of her made her finally start crying in happiness. She buried her head in Sheldon's shoulder and babbled incoherently, wanting to thank him for being there and just being himself. Sheldon simply held her and kept saying "There, there. Sheldon's here."

She loved him.

Sheldon didn't doubt for a second that Penny would do great things. Obtaining this protagonic role was just evidence of that. She had been working hard, sometimes she would not come home for 3 days as she was running between acting jobs.

He was proud of her. So he told her.

With arms full of Penny, Sheldon felt that while their courses might have derailed due to circumstances outside of their control, they now had course corrected and were on their intended roads.

Sheldon only hoped that Penny wouldn't lea-

Penny kissed him.

He tasted her tears, it shouldn't have made for a pleasant experience.

He kissed her back.

Penny had been scared. She had known for a bit that her feelings for the tall scientist were no longer Platonical. But she was scared.

Penny had done a lot of things she wasn't proud of, selling her body was number one on that list. It hadn't really been her decision, but she was forced due to circumstances. She knew of girls that did it and loved it, but she was not one of them.

She had been scared of Sheldon rejecting her. He had never shown any aversion to her due to her past job, he didn't flinch at her touch. He allowed her to touch him when she had witnessed Sheldon tearing the head off a sales girl for being a little too familiar with his person.

She had been scared of her feelings not being returned. Sheldon deserved someone better, someone that wasn't tainted, someone that could understand his work.

Penny had been scared of all of that, until Sheldon kissed her back.

Penny thought she would die from happiness. Maybe Sheldon didn't believe in Fate, but she did. And it was Fate that put her on the same road as Sheldon Cooper.

Sheldon could admit to having strong feelings towards Penny. He found her incredibly attractive and fascinating.

He had never had a normal relationship before, his father had forced him to go on dates and had told him what he had to do during them. He was no stranger to sex, Paige Swanson had been thrilled and she wanted more out of their relationship.

But Sheldon didn't love her, every time they slept together he just felt guiltier and guiltier, he broke up with her as soon as he started working as a truck driver. His dad had been ecstatic, called him a heartbreaker and he had made Sheldon promise that he would hire a…companion girl, at every rest-stop.

Sheldon kept his promise, but he had never promised to do anything with the girl after hiring her. His own way of rebelling against him.

And Sheldon was scared, he knew that Penny had gone through a traumatic experience, for 2 years. He had not missed how Penny had refrained from any dating since they were living together. She had made work her life.

And perhaps Penny herself failed to notice but she was very careful around unknown males. She was a very physical person with Sheldon but moved away and avoided contact with other males. Sheldon had been worried for Penny's sake.

And one night Penny was painting her toes on the couch, sitting next to him as he read a magazine, she was telling him about her latest audition and Sheldon just felt at peace.

Looking at Penny's soft smile, hearing her laugh and seeing the way her eyes expressed every emotion and Sheldon knew he was doomed. He loved her.

And then she kissed him a couple of months later.

He kissed her back.

Afterwards, they were sitting down on the couch after dinner and their legs were fused to each other as they pretended to read a magazine. Sheldon didn't want to lose Penny, didn't want her to leave. He needed to tell her how he felt.

Without looking away from his magazine Sheldon started speaking. "Penny. I don't believe in Fate. But I believe in my mother and my Meemaw, they would have called our meeting Fate and I find myself unwilling to reject the notion as we sit here next to each other." Sheldon finally looked up and met Penny's bright green eyes. He swallowed hard.

"Recently, I realized that my feelings for you had grown beyond those of friendship. I would like to adjust our relationship to include a romantic element." Sheldon knew he was regressing to 'science talk' as Penny called it, but he was nervous and this made him feel in control of a situation he knew couldn't be controlled.

"As I find myself thinking of the word 'Home', this apartment comes to mind. However, it's not a complete picture without you in it."

Sheldon wants to say more, he prefers saying too much than too little. But he can't, because suddenly his arms are full of Penny and she captured his lips. He doesn't mind one bit.

Sheldon wanted to make her ovaries explode. For someone that claimed to not be a romantic Sheldon could say a lot of romantic things that made her feel like the most important person in the world.

Penny wanted to tell him that she also loved him, because he was saying that. He was just using more words to do it.

So she kissed him. Hard. Trying to convey her own feelings, she would tell him later how she felt. For now, she just needed to kiss him.

"I love you Sheldon."

"I love you Penny."

Penny's smile truly defied all known laws, it was improbable that it should bring so much light just by existing.

Fascinating.