"No Sheldon."

"But Penny," She interrupts him before he can start.

"No Sheldon, it's my turn to pick the movie and I want to watch 'Clueless'"

"Very well, if you insist." The sigh that comes out of Sheldon could blow cities away.

"C'mon Moonpie, I bet you'll like it."

"..."

"You want to tell me to stop calling you that, right?" Penny hoped he could hear the smirk in her voice.

"...I still insist that Meemaw should not have given you permission to call me that."

Penny laughs at the pout in his voice. She loves these weekly calls with Sheldon, it always makes her feel lighter somehow.

It was May and the weather should be in the mid 50°s but for some reason the termometer didn't go lower than 74°. At least finals are over. Penny was only wearing a tank top and her hello kitty panties. It was just her in the dorm, Tamika was on another date with Jack, she still insisted that they were taking it easy but Penny knew that look in her friend's face, she was head over heels in love.

"No Moonpie, Tai wants to date Josh, but that made Cher realize her feelings."

"Well, that's convoluted."

Sheldon still couldn't get the appeal of rom-coms but Penny would not get tired of explaining them to him. Ever since spending last Christmas together they had been getting closer and Penny knew that she was in trouble.

She was halfway in love with him.

Not just him, but with his family as well. Meemaw had been sending her letters and Penny was more than happy to write back. Missy was always game for celebrity gossip talk and Penny really liked her, she was also waitressing while going to school and in a way Penny found the sisterly relationship she never had with her own blood sister.

But Sheldon didn't seem to want a relationship. Penny had been dropping hints but Sheldon was either ignoring them or they were going over his head.

Penny was still dating around but none of the guys were Sheldon and instead of getting drunk in their dirty dorm rooms she much rather stay in her room and talk with Sheldon over the phone.

She did miss sex tho, and Penny was seriously considering getting rechargeable batteries because she was spending a fortune on disposable ones.

"That movie was interesting Penny," Translation, I didn't enjoy it but I don't want to make you sad.

"No worries Moonpie, we can watch it again next time." Teasing him was always fun.

"Oh, no, no. Perhaps we should focus on movies we haven't seen yet."

"Yeah yeah, no worries, I already have our next movie in mind."

"Oh goody." For someone that didn't do sarcasm, that was a good one.

"How is the new roommate doing?" Sheldon was having a hard time finding a roommate that sticks, apparently they all couldn't deal with his idiosyncrasies.

"Not successful I'm afraid. He leaves dirty towels on the bathroom floor and has already 'forgotten' to wash his own dishes for the 4th time this week." An exasperated sigh tickles her ear "At least he'll be gone by the end of the week."

"Aww I'm sorry Sweetie. At least that means that there'll be no one there to cramp our style when I'm there for Summer break."

"Are you certain that your parents won't be upset with you for not going back to see them?"

"I'm planning to go see them for a day before I fly out to California."

"Oh! Okay."

Penny doesn't feel bad about the lie. She did try to reach out to her parents, her father picked up the phone, greeted her cooly and then passed the phone to her mother. Her mother was drunk and started calling her a 'little whore' and mockingly asked if she was calling because she got knocked up and needed help. Penny doesn't really want to talk to either of her parents, but Sheldon couldn't understand, so he doesn't need to know.

"I can't wait to see you again Sheldon."

"..."

Penny doesn't fill in the silence. There's been more and more of these silences lately, maybe she's too optimistic but Penny thinks that they're happening because Sheldon wants to tell her something. It's just that he can't or won't voice it.

"Moonpie?" She says after the silence has dragged on for long enough.

"I have missed your presence as well Penny." Penny thinks that his tone is heavy with unsaid words but she's being too hopeful and quickly dismisses the idea. "And without a roommate you will be able to make use of the extra room instead of the couch."

"Yay for me."

"Yay indeed."

California is everything Penny wanted it to be and more, and she hadn't even left the airport yet. She's trying to take everything in as she walks out and she's able to spot Sheldon easily. No strange woman by his side this time.

Sheldon is sort of leaning against a car and he's sweating something terrible. He looks like he just ran a marathon and Penny can even see him shake a little.

"Sheldon! Are you okay?!" Just her luck that Sheldon is sick as soon as she lands.

"Hello Penny." Sheldon is the one that pulls her into a hug this time. The first hug he ever initiated, and Penny is worried because it feels a little frantic. She dreamed of him hugging her first but now she was worried about him. "I'm okay. California's public transportation is a sure way to get sick or killed so I decided to rent a car for the length of your stay, but I had to drive it here. I don't enjoy driving Penny." Sheldon seems to calm down with each word coming out of his mouth, his shaking is almost gone and he's no longer as pale.

"Awwww Honey, you did that for me?" Penny is touched, she knew how Sheldon felt about driving and yet he still did it. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome Penny. Now, I hope you don't mind driving us back to the apartment."

"Not at all, Sweetie. You'll have to give me directions tho"

They were still holding each other and Penny was in no rush to end this particular hug.

"Perhaps we should move." Sheldon's voice is calm now.

"Yeah, we should." But neither move. What forces them in the end is the loud klaxon of a taxi.

The drive back to Sheldon's apartment is rather uneventful, Penny is looking around at the streets and trying to burn them into her memory. Maybe in another Universe she had dropped out of college and was trying her luck as an actress. Like in that movie Sheldon showed her 'Run Lola Run'. She hopes that the Penny in that other world also gets to meet Sheldon.

Sheldon's apartment building is huge, at least to Penny. He's living on the 4th floor and Penny is glad there's an elevator. Her bags have enough clothes but she's not fooling herself, she worked so many double shifts to save enough money to buy clothes and shoes here and not feel guilty about it.

Sheldon shows her around the apartment and Penny is surprised by how big it is, it's like a proper home. Living room, Kitchen, bathroom with a bath, storage closet and a second bedroom. Not to mention all of the geeky stuff, figurines, models, trains, etc. This felt like a lived in place, a home. Not bad. Well, except he didn't have a couch, he had lawn chairs for some reason.

"Thanks again Sheldon, for letting me stay here." Penny told him once they were back in the living room. "Too bad you don't have a couch tho."

"You're welcome Penny. Yes, the couch belonged to my previous roommate."

"Maybe you could get one? You know we could sit there together and watch movies." Penny wonders for a moment if she should say more, she shouldn't. "And you know, we could cuddle."

"...I see…" Sheldon frowns in thought and Penny sighs her hopes away. She should just give up, this trip was also a way for her to finally let go of her feelings for Sheldon. She was going to be staying here for a month and a half and if Sheldon didn't give her any life signs that they could be more, she'd be giving up on her feelings for him. They could remain friends, best friends.

Penny hoped that Missy was right about Sheldon also feeling something for her.

"Penny, would you please drive me to the furniture store? We need a coach."

"Sure Honey." Penny felt the smile almost break her face.

Maybe Missy was onto something.

That first week in California feels odd. Not in a bad way, but Penny felt more like a girlfriend moving in than a friend just staying for a while.

Sheldon and Penny go to pick a couch. They end up picking up a pretty cute green couch and matching chairs…and a coffee table…and a shoe organizer…a closet…a vanity, and okay, Penny might have gone a little shop-crazy and Sheldon just let her buy anything she wanted.

That second bedroom, well, more like the entire apartment, now looked like Penny lived there with Sheldon. It wasn't helping with her feelings.

Penny made good on her promise about cuddling with Sheldon on the couch. If it could be called cuddling, that first night on the couch it took Sheldon almost an hour to feel comfortable. But he never asked her to move away.

By night five Sheldon was holding her back and Penny was thrilled.

Sheldon still had work so Penny had the mornings free to do whatever she wanted. For the first few days it was just sleeping in, but then Penny started to hit the stores, as if she needed another reason to love California. The stores alone would make moving worth it.

Missy also called the apartment and squeed in delight when Penny was the one that answered the phone.

"Have you bumped uglies yet?"

"Missy! You know he has superhero hearing. He's taking a shower but I bet he can hear from there."

"Sweet. Baby. Jesus…"

"Not like that, just his regular after work shower."

"Oh. Well, what are you waiting for? Just jump him."

"And make him hate me forever? No. Thank you."

"...look…I'm not supposed to tell you this but Shelly called me a couple of days ago. He asked me about-" Of course that's the moment that Sheldon comes back from his shower.

"Penny. Who is that?"

"Oh, it's just Missy."

"Ah, I shall retire to my bedroom while you two talk. Please knock on my door once you're done so we can talk about what to have for dinner."

"We can make Hotdogs on a stick?"

"Oh Goody!" And he went back to his room.

Missy's voice brings her back to the other conversation "See, you should get married already."

"Nuh uh. You were about to tell me something big. Spill." No way Penny is letting that get away.

"Okay darlin' I don't always like Shelly but I have seen the way you make him happy so I'm going to tell you this only once." Penny is holding her breath, her heart beating quickly "Shelly called and asked what was the best way to ask you out. I told him to just be direct with you. I didn't tell him how you're about ready to throw your panties at him though."

Penny can't refute that statement.

"He asked you that?"

"On my momma, I swear."

Hope burns brightly in Penny's chest, the last time she felt this way she was about to face a rodeo. This time she would break more than her wrist if it went wrong.

That night, as she and Sheldon are cooking together she can't help but steal glances at him through the night. He had really clear blue eyes and she noticed how the corners of his eyes would soften when looking at her. She loved how long his eyelashes were. How the muscles in his arm moved when he wrote on his whiteboard…and yeah, she was screwed.

Week two brings two important events, one really good and one really bad.

One morning, out of curiosity she goes to UCLA, it's only a 40 minute drive from the apartment. She hasn't told Sheldon yet but Penny has floated the idea of transferring to her advisor and while annoying, the process was actually simple. Simple, but not cheap. She hoped to talk to the Financial aid admin after visiting the main office.

Penny sings and dances on the entire drive back to Los Robles.

All of her credits could be transferred and if she wanted she could basically transfer next fall. Financial aid is not so great, she knows that her EFC is basically zero, so she'll need to take out student loans…but she loves UCLA and its campus. And she had read that the students here attend auditions on the regular which also made her want to transfer ASAP.

But before making any decisions she needs to talk it out with Sheldon, he'll be brutally honest but she needs that right now, to know she's not screwing herself for life. She's also late for dinner, she stayed at campus for far longer than she expected.

Penny is so thrilled that she doesn't even wait for the elevator, she prances up the stairs and is already calling Sheldon's name as she opens the door, but her voice dies as she sees the scene in front of her.

A strange girl is kissing Sheldon on their couch.

That's the really bad thing.

Penny feels hot and then cold. Time seems to be moving slowly and she's not sure that she's breathing anymore.

She wants to close the door, go back to Nebraska and cry for a year. Of course Sheldon didn't love her, he was a bigshot scientist and she was just Penny.

Before leaving she needed to look at Sheldon's face for one last time, she takes a step into the apartment.

"Penny, help!" Sheldon notices her and his face is a mask of terror, not of Penny seeing him with another woman. But of the woman straddling him.

Paying closer attention Penny can see that Sheldon is trying his best to glue himself to the couch, trying to put as much distance between him and the woman. His arms go up to his face in an attempt to cover himself and she can see tears falling from his eyes.

Penny is now feeling hot again. Hot red anger fuels her.

Before making the conscious decision to move, her body is already in front of the couch. The other woman is finally turning to look at her. Penny doesn't give her a chance to talk or move.

Penny is tiny, she knows this. It has never bothered her. But she's got good muscles, farm work will do that for you. The other woman is not a challenge, Penny pulls her off Sheldon easily, throws her towards the still open door.

"Dr. Cooper!" The woman tries to say more but Penny is already there and pushes her out of the apartment. Slamming the door on her face feels really good. Penny is still not sure she has taken a breath since she first opened the door. "I didn't know he had a girlfriend!" The muffled voice is accompanied by a slam on the closed door.

Penny has to close her eyes to try and calm herself, pressing her forehead to the door. She just experienced emotional whiplash in a level she never thought possible. Her heart is still beating wildly and now that the…hussy is out of sight, Penny starts to calm down. She can hear panting and it takes a moment to realize it's her own breathing. Opens her eyes and sees her chest heaving.

It's then that she remembers Sheldon, turns to the couch but he's gone. She can see the door to the bathroom is open and can hear water running. Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself further she moves to where Sheldon is.

The image that greets her both breaks her heart and fans the flames of her anger again.

Sheldon is bent over the sink and is frantically brushing his teeth, she can see red splotches in the blue foam sitting at the bottom of the sink. Any other time this would be a funny image, but not today. Sheldon is crying and Penny is not sure he's even aware of it, he looks lost and even though he's looking at himself in the mirror his eyes are empty and unfocused, there's no more foam left in his mouth, he is brushing his mouth raw. This was more than an unwanted kiss for him.

"Sheldon. Honey. I think that's enough." He turns to look at her, but he's not really seeing her, but at least he stopped hurting himself. He doesn't answer.

Penny takes a step into the bathroom "Moonpie?" At that his eyes finally focus on her. He still looks miserable and terrified. "Hey, it's me." Penny's voice is soft, hand stretched out to him.

The look in Sheldon's eyes doesn't change, he's almost back but not quite there yet. His eyes are wild with fear looking at her outstretched hand and then at her face.

Penny had always loved horses. Junior Rodeo allowed her to indulge in that love. There's a wild freedom in riding a horse that can't be compared to anything else. Penny loved Sugarcube, a beautiful chocolate Palomino mare, she was Penny's partner for her entire time in Junior Rodeo. Penny loved horses so much that she would help around the stables just for the sake of it and to make sure Sugarcube was taken care of. The look on Sheldon's eyes is the same look that spooked horses would have before trying to buck a rider, try to bite at you or before someone finds out why you shouldn't stand behind a horse.

Sheldon has that same look and it scares her.

"Hey Moonpie. It's fine, that lady is gone. It's just us." Penny's voice cracks, she's terrified that Sheldon is somehow gone forever. It's a stupid idea, one dumbass lady can't rob the world from Sheldon Cooper. Can't rob Penny of her Moonpie. "It's me."

"Penny?" Sheldon's voice is faint and it breaks her heart.

Penny gulps the heartbreak in her throat before replying "Yeah, I'm here." Tries to sound stronger than she feels.

Sheldon's eyes finally focus, he grimaces in pain and looks down at the toothbrush in his hand in distaste. Throws it into the garbage can with more force than needed. Goes to rinse his mouth with water and Penny cringes at how red it comes out.

"I…" It's rare to see Sheldon speechless but Penny doesn't interrupt him, "She joined me for lunch at the University's cafeteria." Sheldon is holding onto either side of the sink, knuckles white, and he's frowning at the foam still in the sink, "She's an undergrad student and she wanted to talk about Physics. I had seen your message, as such I was aware that you wouldn't be able to come pick me up so her offer to drive me home was ideal for the situation. Or so I thought at the time." The grimace on his face is pure revulsion.

"She asked if she could see the apartment and while an odd request, I saw no reason to deny it. She had been respectful so far." Sheldon laughs but not his breathy laugh, this one is ugly and Penny doesn't want to hear it ever again. "I offered her a hot beverage but she then manhandled me into the couch and forced herself on me. I feel dirty. Even now, the urge to keep brushing my teeth is gnawing at me."

Penny can't hold herself back anymore and she walks fully into the bathroom to hold Sheldon, he is tall and her head is buried between his shoulder blades. She wants to fuse herself to him, to make him stop hurting. He flinches a little at her touch but soon relaxes.

"You know Sheldon. I never told this to anyone but the real reason why I quit Junior Rodeo is because one of the judges kept making passes at me." Her voice gets watery right away, "Until one day, backstage, he forcefully kissed me and grabbed my butt so hard that it bruised." She's glad that Sheldon is not facing her. It took her a long time to come to terms with what happened to her and she's pretty sure what's running through Sheldon's mind right now. "It's not your fault Sheldon."

Penny is not sure how long they stayed in the bathroom, with her holding onto Sheldon. But it was Sheldon's stomach rumbling that finally made them move. Penny laughed at the suddenness of the sound and then Sheldon followed. It felt good to laugh after all that.

They ordered Pizza because neither felt like going out or cooking. It was Sheldon's turn to choose the movie but he instead put on Star Trek TOS, Penny didn't say anything and just cuddled with Sheldon on the couch.

She knew there were a lot of things unsaid, but for now they were safe on Sheldon's couch and that was enough.

Sheldon was warm and Penny could feel her eyes closing.

Penny was starting to feel cold, her right side was super cold and that's what forced her to open her eyes. Batman's logo is what greeted her.

Sheldon and her were lying side by side on the couch. She was between Sheldon and the backrest, they had turned the lights off to watch the TV, which was still on and that was what allowed Penny to make out some of Sheldon's sleeping features.

Taking hold of the blanket on the back of the couch Penny covered them both.

"Thank you Penny." Sheldon's soft voice surprises her.

"You're awake." Her voice is just as soft. It's only them in the apartment but it feels wrong to raise her voice. "Don't you want to go back to your room?" She's using his arm as a pillow and turns to look up at him.

"I find myself unwilling to move at this moment." Sheldon's chest rumbles a little with each word and Penny finds that it does funny things to her tummy…and lower.

"Okay." Penny's neck is a little uncomfortable in this position, Sheldon has one of the throw pillows under his head. She shimmies up until she's facing Sheldon and her head is on the same throw pillow, his arm moves lower and is under her waist, maybe she imagined that he had pulled her against him. "Hey there Moonpie."

"Thank you Penny." Getting this close to him was a bad idea, her hand moves on its own. Her thumb is lightly caressing his jaw. "For everything."

"You're welcome, Sheldon."

"I've always been called weird. A freak. Almost a real boy. Among many other things. But you treated me like another person. You were nice to me." In the dark Penny could only see some details of Sheldon's expression and she wished that they had left the lights on, she wants to see what kind of face he is making right now. "I am unsure of when my feelings for you grew. Missy was less than helpful when I requested her assistance to analyze them."

Penny held her breath, could it be? After a few moments of Sheldon not talking she had to know "How do you feel about me Moonpie?"

"I find myself wishing to hold you. Penny, you have to understand. This is a new feeling for me. I have experienced physical attraction before, but I have never experienced this…want to hold another person. Imagining myself in this position with someone else is almost painful. But…"

Penny hates the silence, and needs Sheldon to keep going. "But?" She prods him.

"But I'm so separated from the average human experience regarding relationships like this. I don't want to lose you."

Penny's heart is soaring. Sheldon hadn't actually said the words, but she knew what he was talking about, knew what it meant. "Why would you lose me?"

This time she definitely doesn't imagine it, the arm around her pulls her closer to Sheldon. "Because I have never been in a romantic relationship before. I don't want to screw up. I don't want you to hate me."

"Aw Moonpie. We will screw up. You will say the wrong thing, I will do the wrong thing. The important part is that we don't stop being friends. That you don't shut me out. Remember that time you called me to ask why you had to play nice at the fundraiser gala? Or how you helped me plan for my acting career? We have each other's backs already."

"But Penny. What if I hurt you?" Penny remembers that night talking with Meemaw. Sheldon had a big heart, there was just a lot of science and geeky stuff around it.

"Then I'll tell you. You're always bragging about that eidetic memory of yours. You're telling me that you're not going to learn?"

"I would hate to lose you."

Penny closes the distance and kisses him. She's very conscious of what just occurred earlier and this might be a bad ide-

Sheldon is kissing her back. It's unsure, awkward and it's the best kiss she's ever had.

This thing between her and Sheldon will not be easy, Penny is fully aware of that. But it can be amazing. Sheldon is a whole lot of difficult, but Penny is not scared of that.

'Bring it on Moonpie.'

Penny is over the moon with happiness. She and Sheldon decide to give dating a try.

With her previous beaus that would mean making out and then jumping to bed, but Sheldon doesn't work like that. And sure Penny misses sex, but she'd rather wait for Sheldon to be ready than to go out with some rando for a one-night stand.

Sheldon wants to write a contract, which is immediately shutdown by Penny. This will also be Penny's first actual grown up relationship and Sheldon chimes in that it will be his first romantic relationship at all.

Instead Penny wants them to talk about stuff and figure it out together.

She ends up regretting it a little when their first day as boyfriend and girlfriend is spent hammering out a verbal contract with Sheldon. At least it's a conversation and not a piece of paper.

Penny asks that Sheldon must ask her directly if he has any questions about the relationship and Penny promises to not be mad if he accidentally offends her.

Sheldon asks that Penny be direct with him. Subtleties and indirect social queues make him anxious. His mother was fond of answering his father's questions with a simple 'I'm fine.' but even Sheldon knew that she was in fact not fine.

Penny asks that Sheldon doesn't accept random invitations from both women and men without checking with her first, she'll be able to tell if it's an actual friendly invitation or if they're asking him on a date. Sheldon can't agree fast enough to that.

Sheldon asks that Penny not try to make him jealous. Penny asks the same.

They agree on several things rather quickly. Penny has never been a fan of PDA and Sheldon is fine with that, but Penny does like holding hands and arms. She already does that with Sheldon as a friend so this is not a huge change.

Other things take longer to agree on. Penny wants to jump Sheldon's bones but she knows he needs to take it slow. Penny balks at his timetable of a year for sex (or coitus as he calls it) and puts her foot down. They will go at their own pace but Penny is a physical person and it's part of what she needs to feel loved. Sheldon eventually agrees to go by feel.

They kiss, and it takes Penny back to 9th grade. Chaste but somehow thrilling.

Penny calls Missy and there's way too much squeeing from the both of them. Penny can hear Missy yell out once she calms down enough "Momma, it finally happened!" Penny can hear a distant 'Praise the Lord!'.

The call to Meemaw is somehow stranger.

"Oh Girlie! Ya made an old woman's year. Now ya listen to me. My Moonpie is a wonderful man, but he's a man nonetheless. He's going to mess up, he will say something he shouldn't have and most of all, he will forget to tell ya he loves ya way too often. I like ya Girlie, I know you'll keep the boy in line." Meemaw's teasing voice turns serious, "But if ya break his heart, I'll run you down and shoot ya like a rabid raccoon. Get me?"

Penny can only stammer "I get you Meemaw."

Meemaw's voice is warm again and full of teasing "Good! Now, I'll be expecting the both of ya for Christmas this year as well. Shelly already knows so I'm just telling ya."

Who knew that Meemaw could be scary like that.

"Hey Moonpie, why did you never wear your Superhero tees while you were in Nebraska…or Texas for that matter?"

"Ah, for Nebraska, I was going in my role as a visiting professor. My mother said the Superhero Tees would give the 'wrong impression'. And Texas is too hot for layers, I prefer a simple shirt to avoid sweating."

"I see, well I like your layers, but I wish you used jeans more."

"Why?"

"I like looking at your butt in them."

On their next date Sheldon wore a pair of jeans that Missy had gifted him last Christmas. His butt really did look great in them.

Sheldon starts reading a lot about dating online. It somehow leads to him patting Penny's butt in what she can only assume is meant to be a playful spank.

Penny is preparing herself a cup of yogurt with cereal when she feels Sheldon move behind her. She doesn't think anything of it, assumes he's going to grab a box of cereal from the shelf. His hand makes gentle contact with her behind, not hard enough to be a proper spank but solid enough that it makes a small sound and actually makes her jump a little.

Penny is surprised and delighted but she's also shocked, because this is Sheldon. And this is huge, like she knew he had a thing about butts but she was preparing herself to have to wait months before Sheldon was able to be the one to make a move.

Turning her head reveals a thoroughly embarrassed Sheldon, there's a flush from his neck to his hairline and it's really cute. His face is unsure but he's not twitching and he's trying to not look at the bundle of papers in his other hand.

"Hey there Moonpie" Penny goes back to preparing her cup of yogurt, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"Hello Penny." Sheldon sounds nervous.

"More dating guides?"

"Yes. This one says that physical contact is a good way to increase affection. Playful touches of an intimate but not sexual manner are a good way to demonstrate interest in your partner."

Penny hums like this all new information to her. "No way. Maybe you should do it again. A little bit harder tho."

"I…what?"

"You heard me."

Sheldon doesn't answer but Penny will let him make this decision all on his own. Penny smiles at her cup of yogurt at the almost proper spank she gets. Sheldon is a quick learner.

Penny is not thrilled to learn that Sheldon is apparently a chick magnet, she asks about the grad student and Sheldon very proudly says 'The other girls are not letting her get close.' Penny has to close her eyes for a moment before asking "What other girls?"

She learns that apparently everyone knows that Sheldon always takes his lunch at the same time every day, so it makes it easy for people to find him. There's a group of women that sit near Sheldon but not with him and apparently they veto who can sit with him. Sheldon doesn't mind because he likes to eat his lunch alone for the most part.

It doesn't sit well with Penny but apparently it's actually keeping girls away from Sheldon so she doesn't say anything else. Penny only reminds Sheldon that he must answer to any invitation with 'I need to check with my girlfriend first.'

Sheldon kisses her goodbye before he leaves for work, she's still in bed and it's only a peck but it makes Penny smile. It's been only a week of them dating but it's been great so far.

The kisses and touches are chaste but Sheldon is a fan of patting her butt and Penny has started to reciprocate, at first he jumped in fright but he has acclimated since and if her hand lingers for a moment too long Sheldon doesn't mention it.

Penny doesn't tell Sheldon, but she's going to transfer to UCLA. She's been having so much fun with him, she loves Pasadena and Penny is not willing to give up on her dream…neither of her dreams.

Nebraska is home, but Sheldon is also home. And Penny is aware that despite what Meemaw believes, her parents have already given up on her. Her dad gave up on her the day she needed to wear a bra and her mom gave up on her almost right away. If she stays in Nebraska Penny is certain that she'll never leave, she'll graduate and go back to live in the farm and then start popping out babies.

Babies are another subject that's been on her mind. After seeing her parent's relationship she had promised herself that she would never have them. She had a pregnancy scare at sixteen which prompted her to start taking the pill religiously, because Penny didn't want babies.

Sheldon doesn't make her change her mind right away, she hasn't even talked about this with him. Still too soon. But down the line, in 10 years, the idea of a little boy or girl doesn't sound so bad.

Penny is in trouble, and she kinda doesn't care as long as Sheldon is by her side.

Saying goodbye to Sheldon at the airport is hell.

Especially because the last week they had together Sheldon was the one pushing for more physical contact, they even started French kissing, which yeah, it freaked him out a little at first but soon he became a very willing participant.

Penny doesn't want to let go of him. This past month and a half came to an end way too soon.

"Penny. I know this is early, but would you like to spend Christmas with my family again?"

Penny's voice is muffled against Sheldon's chest. "I thought you didn't like to go back home for Christmas."

"Yes, well. Recent events have shifted my perception."

Penny laughs because this is just like Sheldon, but Penny is now an expert in Sheldon-speak and knows what it means 'I want to spend more time with you.'

"I would love it, Sheldon."

"Oh good!"

Her flight is called over the PA and she feels Sheldon tense up. He might not show it but he's as reluctant as she is to separate. Penny is thinking about whether to kiss Sheldon or not. They kissed back in the apartment because Sheldon didn't want to do it in public, but she needs to kiss him one more time.

Sheldon kisses her.

It's desperate, he's holding onto her like she's about to disappear and Penny takes a moment to wise up but she's holding him just as desperately and kissing him back.

She's not sure how much time passes but by the time her flight is called again she's dizzy and she's also pretty sure that her lips are bruised, but she doesn't care.

Penny doesn't start crying until her plane is in the air. This feels too much like a permanent goodbye and she hates it.