Sequel to Detour

Penny's side of things

Penny wanted to be in love. And Kurt came along, he said the right things, did the right things. They've been dating for a year and Penny was happy, she knew it wasn't perfect but what relationship was? Her parents could barely stand each other and they were still married.

And one day Kurt told her that they could make their dreams true. He would make sure of it.

Penny thought she was in love. So she signed the papers for the bank loan. And the next day Kurt was gone.

Penny was left broken hearted and broke.

She could never pay back the loan, she went to the bank and begged and of course they laughed at her, the silly girl that had ruined her life. She hated her parents but she would still not run in the middle of the night like a thief to let them deal with the fallout of her stupid choices.

Right before dropping out of college she confided in anyone that could listen, Penny just wanted to vent. A girl that she had seen around the dorm a couple of times pulled Penny aside and told her about what her mom did for a living, that if she needed money fast then this was an option.

Penny was in a hole so deep that the offer felt like a match had been lit.

For a year and a half she did it. She was careful, never meeting anyone outside of the rooms. Truck drivers are a good choice, a face you will never see again. Make sure you see the money. Always bring your own condoms.

And of course, because things couldn't ever go her way. Her parents found out. Penny doesn't want to remember that fight, it might as well have been the last time she would ever speak to either of her parents. Tommy perhaps for the first time ever acted like a big brother and took her in.

She only had a couple of months more before she paid off the debt in full, so she crashed on her brother's couch, until he was arrested for dealing meth. She had to learn to live off a duffel bag, and when she made that final payment it felt like she could breathe again. Only to find herself broke again, not even enough to pay for a goddamn ticket to California.

Penny had to sell her body, one last night. She's sure that god finds it funny.

And then Penny met him. She entered the crappy room already dreading it but instead of the usual customer there was a young man. He looked well kept and wasn't drinking or smoking anything, he was just reading on a chair.

He spoke and it reminded Penny of a doctor, his voice clinical and detached. And it turned out that he actually was a doctor.

They started talking and Penny felt for him. He was someone that didn't belong in this room. But because just like her he refused to give up on the only parent he knew, he got screwed. But she can see the relief in him once he tells her that this is the last time he's doing this. His eyes are bright and looking somewhere she can't see.

Penny tells him her own story. She can't help but laugh at her dream of being an actress, she had received offers to do porn before, but she wanted to keep this dream intact. Acting was her haven.

And then he offered to take her with him to Sacramento. Her chest filled with happiness and hope because she didn't want to keep doing tricks, she would go be a waitress or a saleswoman but no matter what, this night would be the last.

But she didn't allow her face to reveal any of that hope. She asked him point-blank why he made the offer. If he thought that she would be his squeeze for the duration of the trip then it was best to leave things clear now.

She did not expect the answer he gave. A part of her brain was telling her that this was a bad idea, this guy could be a serial killer or a rapist. The thought was dismissed just as quickly.

Sheldon paid for her time as promised and then they made plans to meet outside his truck. Penny went to pick up her duffel bag and in a few moments she was outside the truck he had mentioned but there was no sign of Sheldon.

Just as her anxiety was getting the best of her she heard footsteps and looked up to see Sheldon approach her. As a greeting he gave her a brisket sandwich and told her to get on.

The cabin of the truck was incredibly clean, almost brand new. The only thing out of place was a small blue shirt and pointed ear bobble head doll sitting in front of the steering wheel, it was doing a gang sign or something.

Looking at the back showed the bed and it was just as clean, she put her duffel bag in the back and turned to Sheldon. He was going through some sort of checklist and she remembers it as part of the 'Learn to drive' checklist that all newbies get in driving lessons.

"Uhh, didn't you say you've been doing this for seven years now?"

"That is correct."

"Then what's with the newbie checklist thing going on here."

And off he goes, he tells Penny about statistics of accidents due to carelessness and how proper procedures will ensure a smooth experience and Penny thinks that Sheldon is just a tiny bit particular.

It's late, almost 10 in the evening if not later, so she asks if she can use the bed. "Hey Sheldon, do you mind if I crash in the back? I've been sleeping on couches for a long time and need some real sleep."

Sheldon tilts his head and looks at her like she just spoke in a different language and he's trying to remember 5th grade Spanish, he takes long enough that she's about to speak again but he interrupts her.

"You meant that you wish to sleep on the bed in the back of the cabin because you have only been sleeping in places that offer no lumbar support?"

"Errr yes?"

"Fantastic! It only took me a moment to decipher the local slang. I am getting better at this. And yes, you may use the bed to sleep."

Smiling and not really sure why Penny moves to the back, she takes off her shoes and is under the covers in a second.

"Penny, I will drive for 9 hours. At which point we'll arrive at Salt Lake City where we'll refuel the truck and take the chance to purchase food and snacks. If you're still asleep when we arrive I will wake you up once I have located appropriate parking. Is this plan to your satisfaction?"

"Thank you Sheldon, yes it is."

"Excellent!"

And here she was, lying down on a proper bed without someone expecting her to open her legs. Sheldon didn't turn to look at her even once as he drove, he put on classical music at a low volume. She wanted to keep watching him drive (and also in case he tried anything funny) but the exhaustion was too much. His bed is large and the covers are warm, Penny feels safe, the sounds of the cabin relax her and the next thing she knows Sheldon is shaking her awake. They're in Salt Lake City.

Sheldon drags her still groggy ass to a diner, this place looks much more upscale than the one back in Nebraska. The restaurant is huge and even the napkins have the diner's logo and name 'Sapp Bros."

Sheldon orders tea and a roast beef sandwich and she gets the strongest coffee they have alongside eggs and pancakes. And it's in the middle of their breakfast that Sheldon's phone pings. He takes a look at it and because he's in front of her she can see the sag of his shoulders, he even drops the phone on the table, he has a smile on his face and for lack of a better word, he looks liberated.

Penny knows she shouldn't, but she peeks at the phone in the middle of them. It's a rather short message. 'Pa is gone. -Georgie'

Sheldon finally got his freedom back.

Penny expected him to maybe cry a little, or jump from joy but after a few minutes Sheldon just went back to his breakfast. Her heart ached for the man in front of her, she had no idea how deep his pain went but she thought that he deserved to smile a lot more.

"Penny, I would like to sleep. I usually try to get 9 hours of sleep. However, I find myself wanting to reach Sacramento in haste. Thus, I think I will go back to the truck and sleep for 6 hours, afterwards, do you have anything to do during that period of time?"

"Hmmm, I suppose that I need to do laundry, I saw a sign for the laundromat they have here and it looks okay. I would also like to buy some sneakers and then maybe browse the bookstore section of the store. So yeah, go to sleep, I'll entertain myself."

Penny went back with Sheldon to grab her duffel bag but before going to the laundromat she decided to hit the bookstore first, that way she'd have something to read while waiting for her clothes.

Even after all the punches life had thrown her way Penny refused to stop believing in romance. Books were an excellent way for her to indulge in that. She picked up a random book, 'A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux's', paid for it and moved to the laundromat. Once her clothes were done Penny wondered how she was going to pass time quickly, getting new sneakers would take a second. Hopefully the book will be good.

The book was amazing, it was torture for Penny to stop reading to move her clothes to the drier and then once it was done she basically shoved it all back into the duffel bag in order to get back to her book.

Penny was thinking about when it would be her turn to get a Knight in shining armor when Sheldon's voice interrupted her.

"Ready?" He didn't look any different and looked rested enough, even if his clothes were a little rumpled.

Penny cringed. "Sorry, haven't gotten my sneakers, got caught up in a book."

The look Sheldon gave her made her feel like a chastised student. Quickly going to the shoe section Penny grabbed the first pair she liked while Sheldon went to buy water and food.

One snack run later and they were back on the road.

"It'll take us 9 hours to arrive to Sacramento." Penny liked this relaxed version of Sheldon…well, as relaxed as he could get. "Once there I need to deliver the load which should take only 1 hour. I will then return the truck to the headquarters, this should give us plenty of time to visit a used car dealership, take the car to be professionally washed and cleaned while we eat. And by evening we should be on the road to Pasadena."

Penny was honestly flabbergasted, she thought that Sheldon was dropping her off in Sacramento and cleaning his hands off from her. She was moved to tears, this man was nicer to her than even her own family had ever been.

"Sounds great Honey." Penny couldn't fight back the smile breaking her face.

They talked for a couple of hours. Sheldon had plans about working at Caltech and also obtaining a second PhD, he loved Physics and from what she was able to gather, he seemed to think that he had been born for it. Penny was able to hear some of his less painful memories, his mom chasing him around when he thought germs were going to kill him. His Meemaw's illegal casino. Poor Snowball. Mandy and Ceecee. His time in Germany. And Penny was able to get a much clearer idea on who Sheldon Cooper was, she liked what she got.

Penny also told him about trying to be a good son for her dad and never being able to do it. Her slugger nickname. Junior Rodeo. Her love for Care Bears. Cheerleading. Getting drunk for the first time on peppermint schnapps in her best friend's basement. Finding out that she loved Acting thanks to losing a bet and having to be Juliet in their High School's play, it had been a joke, and after the first rehearsal it was no longer a joke to her.

It felt nice to be able to just talk. Sheldon became a better friend in 24 hours than her childhood friends had ever been.

Arriving in Sacramento early in the morning, Penny could see that Sheldon was just as excited as she was. He was basically vibrating in his seat.

They soon were in the lot of a place called 'CarMax', it was huge and the selection seemed impossibly large. But Sheldon was Sheldon and he already had a very specific set of parameters of what he considered acceptable. Not even an hour had passed since they arrived and they were already driving away in a Silver Toyota Camry.

While they waited for the car to be washed and cleaned they had lunch in a very nice cafeteria. Penny was drinking some pretty nice coffee when Sheldon once again surprised her.

"Would you like to be my roommate?"

Sheldon had quite enjoyed the company of Penny. She was chatty and overly excitable but he had to admit that it was appealing instead of being annoying.

Without meaning to, he had included Penny in his new plans. He didn't want a studio apartment, after living in close quarters for so long he wanted a large apartment, a place where he could have a living room, a kitchen, a bath (He still remembered a time when that thought would have made him jump in fright, but after countless cold rest-stop showers he was ready to give baths a try), and maybe shelves, so he could start collecting things again.

Maybe Penny would like to be his roommate.

So he asked.

After choking on her coffee Penny was able to breathe again and she glared at Sheldon. 'He's trying to kill me.'

"I'm not saying no, but I'm also not saying yes. I need you to explain why you made the offer." Penny didn't want charity, if he was asking because of some misguided sense of wanting to protect her then she would walk away right now.

"Well, because I want to." And he explained what he meant, he wanted to live in a place that he could call home. Oh he said a hundred words more but Penny had to wonder if Sheldon realized how…normal that dream was. Penny herself was looking for a home. And having a bigger place would be great, Penny didn't have a lot of money, a roommate would go a long way for her.

This could be a mistake.

"Okay Honey, let's be roommates."

Then again, it could be great.

Sheldon gave a smile that was pure joy and Penny felt more confident in having said yes.

Penny had noticed that Sheldon had a thing for driving at night. They were on their way to Pasadena and Penny was feeling pumped.

"Are you sure that you don't need to check the map?"

"I already memorized it Penny, there's no need."

"Wait, for real? So you have a photographic memory?" That would be so cool.

"No. I have an eidetic memory. I can remember everything, not just images, but I can recall sounds, sensations, emotions etc."

"Oh! That includes bad memories?" Maybe it wasn't so cool after all.

Sheldon just nodded but she noticed that his grip on the steering wheel was tighter than it had been a moment ago.

'Well…crap.'

"Let's make some good memories then Sheldon."

A small smile directed her way is all the response she needed.

Pasadena is not quite what Penny imagined, it's just another city. But this is where her dreams can come true.

They arrive very early in the morning, it's barely 6 am. Sheldon drives them to a Denny's and while they wait for their food Sheldon is using his phone to look for apartments. He wants something that's close to Caltech but not crazy expensive.

When Penny is done with her pancakes Sheldon shows her what he thinks will be an ideal choice. Los Robles 2311.

The apartment is on the 4th floor but there's an elevator and Penny has a feeling about it. She can see Sheldon and herself living in it.

It's only a 10 minute drive to Caltech. They go check it out and both agree that it's a good place. The elevator is working and the building doesn't have any weird smells. They have their own laundry room.

Driving there showed that the neighborhood was pretty nice. The landlord was a no-nonsense kind of guy and just showed them the apartment right away. It was just as great as Penny expected, so much room. The rent was a little steep even divided in two, but after checking with the landlord how much a single bedroom would cost Penny had to admit that they were getting a deal.

Single room -850 USD
Two bedrooms -1300 USD

So Penny shut up and was thankful that it was only 650 for her rent. They also split the safety deposit of 1k.

And Sheldon and Penny now had an apartment.

They had no chairs, no beds, no TV. But they were ready to start living their lives now.