The moment that Sheldon and Penny close the apartment door behind them is the moment that the both of them collapse on the couch. Sheldon is in his spot and Penny is right next to him.

"I love your family Moonpie, but I'm glad to be back home."

"I concur. Though the fact that we only need to do this trip once a year makes it easier to accept."

Penny nods tiredly against his shoulder, she was sure that come August they would be already looking forward to going back but for now she's glad to be back in their home.

Way too soon for Penny's liking classes start again and their life returns to normal. Well, almost, they now add sex to their routines and Penny couldn't be happier.

A hard day at school? Boom, Sheldon blew her mind and she was suddenly feeling much better.

Sheldon was stuck on a problem? Wham, Penny made it so he could only think about her.

Life was good.

Penny has to make good on her promise and introduce Sheldon to Fred.

Sheldon agrees after hearing this is the guy that made his autograph happen. They meet at The Cheesecake Factory and Sheldon is not even fully seated before Fred explodes in pure fanboy energy and starts talking science at Sheldon.

She and Kelly let the boys geek out while they talk about school, clothes and jobs.

The meeting goes so well that they have another one, and then another and soon it just becomes hanging out. Fred is able to tone down the fanboy in him and it turns out he also plays Magic. Sheldon is super stoked because he now has someone to play double headed giant with…Penny didn't even bother to ask.

Kelly and Penny manage to strike a true friendship and Kelly manages to introduce Penny to the wonders of smutty books. Penny in kind teaches Kelly the wonders of an employee discount. It's fun to have a friend in school and even if they're not in the same courses Penny is happy.

They get a new neighbor in 4B.

He? She? Is a police officer that also happens to enjoy dressing in drag. Sheldon feels more secure in the knowledge that there's a police officer in the building and Penny is happy to have someone that knows even more than she does about makeup.

Either way, both Sheldon and Penny love having Louise/Luis as a neighbor.

She prefers to be called Louise and she makes a mean banana bread.

2003 is also the year when they also have their very first big fight.

Sheldon is helping Fred with homework as usual and Fred is just not getting it. While not as much of a fanboy he still tends to take every word out of Sheldon's mouth deathly serious. So when Sheldon makes an offhand comment about Fred's intelligence, something snaps in Penny and in mere moments they're screaming at each other.

Kelly has to step in and tell them to calm down. Fred looks guilty and that only makes Penny angrier.

Kelly and Fred leave so Sheldon and Penny stare at each other. It doesn't take long for the yelling to start again.

"-happen if you weren't such a fucking robot!"

Penny wants to hurt Sheldon. She sees him reel from her words and is preparing for his comeback. Instead his face crumples for a moment before an imperfect mask of indifference goes over his face, and without another word he leaves to his room.

Penny is left alone in the living room, her chest is heaving, she's waiting to hear the slam of his door, but the only thing she hears is the click of his lock.

In frustration she scratches at her head, suddenly upset that her hair is so long. This is bullshit, she's so tired, she decided to take classes from the Acting Major but it was all so close to being too much. She was almost late in one of her payments for her student loans (Sheldon had designed a plan so she could pay them early) and just yesterday her car had stalled, the 'check engine' light was almost permanently on nowadays. She had broken a nail and she dropped her coffee this morning, literally moments after buying it.

It was all too much, she just wanted time for herself.

'Maybe just one drink' She eyes the bottle of wine in the cupboard but the face of her mother flashes in her mind and Penny shakes her head in disgust.

Honestly, all she really wants is to just cuddle with Sheldon.

Like a bucket of cold water, realization comes. She had called him a robot. Penny can only close her eyes in shame. She knew better, but she was hurting and wanted Sheldon to hurt too. There's no easy way out of this, she's suddenly feeling very tired, like her body is only moving due to some magic she's not familiar with. Dragging herself she plops down right next to his door and slams her head against the wall.

"Sheldon." Her voice breaks right away "I'm so sorry. I know it's not enough, but I am." Penny wants to slam her head against the wall again but she knows it won't help anyone. Instead she grabs her head and it feels like it's the only thing holding her at the moment.

"I know you appreciate honesty, so I'm going to be honest. I've been under a lot of pressure, so many things happening at once…it's not an excuse." Waits for any sort of acknowledgement.

"Please Moonpie. I'm so sorry." The pain is making way to numbness. It's all too much.

Sheldon doesn't come out of his room for the rest of the night. Penny goes to her own bed for the first time since coming back from Texas. She's sleeping alone for the first time in 6 months and she hates it.

Next morning Sheldon has gone to work as usual. Her breakfast plate is in the fridge in the usual place and the sight of it makes Penny break down.

She eats her breakfast, sobbing all the while.

Penny can't allow this to go on any longer. She makes sure to wash the dish and then cleans herself up. Just a few moments later she's driving to Caltech.

Penny doesn't have an actual plan, there's no magic word to fix this. No one is coming to her rescue, she has to do this alone. She has to be better than her parents.

She's able to find a parking spot easily, she already knows the way to Sheldon's office. Not that long ago the cafeteria had closed and they had arranged a lunch date in his office. Way too soon his office door comes into view and she can hear the sounds of 'Chavez' playing loudly. Sheldon had found an affinity for Math Rock and really, that just made sense.

Penny takes a deep breath before entering.

The music stops abruptly and Sheldon's unbelieving voice greets her "Penny?"

She thought that she could talk, apologize, explain it to him, but seeing Sheldon makes her body act on her own. Penny strides towards him and before he can move she's sitting in his lap and holding onto him for dear life.

"I'msosorrysorry" Penny is babbling but she can't stop. She can't stop the tears either and she only cries harder when Sheldon's arms go around her and hold her.

The last time she cried this hard was when she was still a kid, she had wandered by accident to the wrong stable and had to witness a veterinarian putting an old horse down. Penny could only think about Sugarcube as she cried in her father's arms.

"There, there."

Sheldon is holding her tightly, he sucks at comforting people usually. But right now, all that Penny needs is Sheldon.

It takes her an embarrassing amount of time to be able to calm down.

"I'm so sorry Moonpie. I'm a fucking idiot."

"Penny." His voice is harsh. "Don't call yourself that."

"I hurt you. I was so overwhelmed and I don't even know why I reacted like that. I'm just like my mother."

"Penny. You are not like your mother." Sheldon rests his cheek against her forehead, she's leaning against him. If anyone were to come in, they would see Dr Sheldon Cooper PhD at his chair with his girlfriend on his lap.

"I'm sorry Moonpie. I should know better. No. I KNOW better." Penny can't see his face, she's playing with the hem of his shirt.

"I don't enjoy fighting with you. I was often witness to my parent's fights and last night was a stark reminder that I was not as separated from George Sr as I had previously imagined." Sheldon cups her cheek and forces her to look up at him. "I am not my father. And I will not become my father."

His face is impassive, but his eyes are bright. Sheldon blinks several times in quick succession. Penny can see tears gathering in his eyes but they don't fall. Penny grabs his face and runs her thumb under his eye, it comes away wet.

Somehow it's worse than if Sheldon had just cried.

Penny pulls his face down and kisses him, trying to convey her love for him. Penny hasn't prayed in years, but she prays that Sheldon knows how much she loves him.

As Sheldon kisses her back, Penny makes a promise to herself.

'Don't make Sheldon cry again.'

That night they also have makeup sex for the first time.

It's slow and intimate. Penny tries to convey her feelings and she knows that Sheldon is doing the same.

Penny locks her legs behind his back and Sheldon's arm never stops embracing her. Their kissing on the other hand is hungry, far more intense than usual.

Sheldon, in a move that she never expects, bites down on her shoulder. Hard enough that she feels the pain without fearing he broke through her skin. Penny arches her back in pleasure and that only makes their bodies fuse together even more.

Penny returns the favor and bites him as well, enjoying the way it makes him push into her.

They will be fine. They have each other.

It takes them little time to go back to normal.

Kelly and Fred come around and Sheldon apologizes for being rude. Physics is his life's work and seeing someone struggle with it, frustrates him. He's trying to be better on how he deals with frustration.

"Penny advised me to teach you as if I were teaching her. That is, if you would like to continue with it." Sheldon gives Fred a shy smile and maybe only Penny can see the hope behind it.

Fred has all the energy of a puppy and is quick to forgive Sheldon.

Kelly in private admits that she thought Sheldon was being rude but when she brought it up to Fred he said that it was good natured ribbing, that there was no heat behind his words. Still, Penny made a note to let Sheldon know that Fred wanted to be his friend and not his student.

Life goes back to normal except they now have friends to hang out with as a couple.

Summer comes around and Penny has the pleasure to attend Comicon, she didn't realize it but Kelly was also a geek and she's the one pushing for them to do Cosplay.

Fred had wanted him and Kelly to go as Fry and Leela but Kelly vetoed that immediately. She wasn't a fan of Futurama. In the end Fred still got his Futurama wish, he went as Zapp Brannigan and he had the smile to pull it off.

Kelly was apparently a different type of geek, she was more into Japanese stuff and Penny didn't get it but both Sheldon and Fred were freaking out over her costume and how good it was. Sure, Kelly was super cute but to Penny she just looked like a very cute doll with weird ears. It was from a cartoon and the character was named Chii.

Penny didn't even have to ask Sheldon. Spock was the only logical option.

As for herself Penny didn't want to over complicate it, ever since helping Ceecee with her games Penny had been borrowing Sheldon's Game Boy to play Pokemon and she loved it. So her costume was simply the female trainer avatar. She has a lot of fun putting the costume together and the final touch is a Torchic plushie that hangs from her waist.

The convention itself is not what Penny expects but she still has a lot of fun with Sheldon, Kelly and Fred.

By the end of the day her feet are killing her, she doesn't even want to think about poor Kelly in her light slippers, she had initially wanted to go barefoot but Sheldon and Fred had advised against it.

Penny wouldn't be against going to Comicon again. Maybe next time they can do couple costumes.

"Girlie, I know you can't travel due to school so we're coming to you!"

Penny can't even reply before Meemaw has already ended the call.

"Uh Moonpie, I think we're having visits for Thanksgiving."

Sheldon tilts his head and looks at the phone in her hand.

"Did I not tell you? Meemaw had informed me since last week."

Penny purses her lips and sucks on her teeth. "For someone with an eidetic memory, you forget a lot of things."

"In my defense. It was the same night that we tried the position you found in that magazine of yours."

"Oh! Yeah, that was fun!...Okay, we were both not in a state to remember stuff I'll admit." Penny looks at Sheldon "...maybe we can do it again?"

Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment will not be a very traditional one.

Meemaw and Mrs Cooper arrive early on Monday and they will be the ones doing the cooking, they're also teaching Sheldon and Penny how to make proper fried chicken, so they have that to look forward to.

They're having breakfast and Penny asks why Missy didn't join them. "Missy is visiting Jonah's family." Mrs Cooper sounds normal and not upset which is great. Jonah and Missy make a great couple. "Oh by the way, we're having Jonah and Missy's wedding on New Year's"

Penny chokes on a spoonful of yogurt and even Sheldon drops his spoon. Meemaw starts cackling in glee. "Told ya it would be fun!"

Mrs Cooper has a tiny devious smile on her face but it's soon replaced with a more…mournful look "My kids grew up too quickly." It's weird how sad and proud she can look at the same time.

"Is Missy pregnant?" Sheldon is always the tactful one.

Meemaw cackles again and Mrs Cooper holds her head.

"Oh boy."

Penny is still too stunned to talk, at least she's not choking anymore.

Penny takes Mrs Cooper to the boutique and lets her go wild with her employee discount…which means Mrs Cooper buys 2 pairs of shoes, 1 blouse and 1 sweater. Penny has to basically shove the cute dress in her bag, Mrs Cooper had loved it, she looked great in it and it was super affordable, it'd be a crime to NOT get it.

Meemaw's fried chicken is basically a heart attack on a plate. But it's so, so, so freaking good.

Finals suck ass. Penny will never get tired of saying it.

Christmas is wonderful…except for the teasing from everyone.

Penny makes the mistake of asking for stuffing and it makes Missy and Jonah lose their shit. Meemaw can't stop cackling and poor Mrs Cooper has to hide her face in her hands.

Sheldon just kept eating normally.

Missy looks beautiful in her wedding dress, and you can't even notice she's pregnant.

The wedding is rather small, but it's because they will have a second wedding in Boston for most of Jonah's family. This one is for Missy and her family.

Jonah is smiling like a loon the entire time and Missy is simply glowing with happiness. It was pure luck that Missy finished school last fall, Penny couldn't imagine being pregnant AND going to school at the same time.

The groom's family looks like a cast reunion of 'The Boondock Saints' and Penny kinda digs it.

Thankfully the wedding is not dry, but they won't serve her a thing because she's not twenty one. Her protests of her Birthday being in February fall on deaf ears. Luckily she has a boyfriend that is over twenty one.

"No. I will not participate in your crime"

Penny's eyebrows try to escape her forehead and she can't close her mouth.

"Bazinga." Breathy little laugh.

Penny narrows her eyes but she can't fight the smile and ends up laughing a little. She still makes him get her a Cuba libre.

2004 starts with Missy's wedding and Penny has a good feeling about it.

It will also be her last year in UCLA and she's already preparing to start going to auditions. Her counselor is a wonderful woman named Laura, she's teaching Penny about how to manage expectations and how auditions are not as straightforward as Penny once thought.

Casting Directors were your best and your worst friends. Just because you might have worked with one of them in a previous project, it meant little for your next audition.

Ruthlessness was the rule of the game.

Penny was looking forward to it, she was scared shitless of course. But it felt like getting on that horse right before a rodeo. It made her blood sing.