Summary:

Sheldon has an important question for his friends.

Penny took a sip of her glass of juice as she watched the blank canvas in front of her. She hadn't been able to paint recently and she wanted to bring to life the moment of Sheldor's death. Her hand itched with the urge to paint.

Sheldon wasn't a fan of gifts but she was still planning on giving him this painting, maybe so he could take it and hang it up at his office.

She had nothing planned for the day and she wanted to spend it just relaxing, lately she kept getting a bad vibe from the owners of Smosh. She didn't like the way they kept trying to squeeze every cent out of the fans and how they kept pushing for more and more videos. Ian was doing his best to keep the morale up but cracks were starting to show.

Her phone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts.

Penny frowned at the screen of her phone before picking up the call. "Hello?"

"Hey darlin'!" A cheery voice greeted her.

"Hey Missy." Penny should have expected this call really. She and Missy had kept a somewhat friendly relationship after her visit to Los Robles. They mostly sent each other pictures of shoes and gossiped about work-drama in their respective restaurants. But they didn't really call each other, like ever. Mrs Cooper knew about her son dating the blonde girl but Penny would bet a horse that Missy hadn't known until her mom told her about it.

They went through the motions of greetings and 'How are you?'s but Penny could feel the giddiness in Missy's voice and knew the other girl was holding back a torrent of questions.

"So…" Missy started and Penny knew it was time. "Momma told me that you and Sheldon changed careers."

Huh. "What?"

"Yeah, she told me that Sheldon is working in a laundromat now and that you're a washing machine."

What? "Missy, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah! Because my brother is apparently dropping loads in you!"

Penny gasped in shock before laughing at the crude joke. "Wow."

"It took me three hours to think of that one." Missy sounded so proud of herself.

"Yeah, no. I can-I can tell."

"Hey." Missy said in mock-offense.

Penny put her juice down and sat down to talk with Missy. She wasn't sure what to expect but the call was easy and smooth. She and Missy got along like a house on fire and as if they had been friends for years.

While Mrs Cooper felt cautiously accepting of her, Missy jumped up with her full chest to accept her and it felt really, really, really good.

"What? You, my sister-in-law, are too good for Texas?" Missy had joked at some point during the call and Penny grew breathless at how casually Missy called her that. It was so easy and natural for her and it took her a long moment to come to terms with it.

Yeah. She was Missy's sister-in-law. She was Penny and she was Sheldon's girlfriend and also Missy's sister-in-law and also Mrs Cooper daughter-in-law and Sheldon was her boyfriend and also her dad's son-in-law and her sister's brother-in-law.

Penny couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

Dani scratched at her eyebrow and tried to think of something to say but was coming up blank.

Jonjon was sitting at the kitchen island, head in his hands.

He talked to Priya and apologized but it wasn't enough. She asked for a break to think things over. Dani wanted to blame Priya but that was the big sister in her talking, she knew that Jonjon had messed up big time and he was the one at fault here.

Now it was a waiting game.

Toni shook her head at the ridiculousness developing in front of her. The guys and Carly were trying to resurrect Sheldor and somehow that had led them to talking to a priestess that had the head of a fish and kept trying to get Jonjon's Paladin to kiss her.

She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much.

She stood to go top up her drink and Penny asked for one as well. Still laughing a little she moved towards the kitchen and started filling up their drinks. Penny with diet coke and for her own glass she chose some of Sheldon's Mountain Dew. He'd gotten a little better at sharing.

Someone clearing their throat made her look up and she found Keith trying to not look at her too much, but she didn't miss the way his eyes darted at her often.

Toni played it cool but inside her stomach was doing flips. They had snuck around for months now. At first it had been just fooling around, nothing serious.

At least that's what she told herself.

"Come here you idiot." She said in a low voice and ignored the way her heart jumped in joy when he smiled and quickly moved to plant a kiss on her lips.

"Oh hey, Penny right?"

Penny looked up from the script she was reading. A man around her age stood nervously there and he tried smiling at her but it was awkward and came out looking more like he was in pain.

"Yes." She replied easily. He was Tom or John, or Gunn or something like that. He was one of the new camera operators that Defy had hired.

She waited for a long moment but he just stood there without talking. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows to show that she was waiting but he didn't react. Honestly he was starting to creep her out by how he just stood there watching her.

"You needed something?" Penny was getting tired and she needed to memorize her lines so her tone of voice was harsh.

That finally pushed through and he jumped a little. "Oh, sorry, sorry. I was lost admiring your beauty."

It took all of Penny's willpower to not slap a hand to her face. He was probably younger than she thought because there was no way in hell someone close to thirty could use such a horrible line. Not even Howard would dare…dear god, at least she hoped he didn't dare to. Although to be honest, he was much better now that he was seeing Bernadette.

Despite trying not to, she let out an annoyed breath. "No, just no. You're new here so I'm going to let it go but we come here to work. Check that little rule book you got, on page 5 you'll see a section about what's appropriate to talk and not talk about, one of those lines explicitly tells you that it's not okay to approach anyone here to try and get a date."

"Jeez, I was just complimenting you. You're not even that hot."

Penny narrowed her eyes and was about to stand up when a new voice interrupted them.

"Don. We talked about this. You made a commitment that you were going to be professional." Ian stood in the doorway to the break room and he looked pissed. "Come with me."

Don grumbled something about her being a bitch under his breath, but not low enough.

"Don!" Ian grabbed the guy by the arm and pulled him away. "I'm so sorry Penny."

Penny waved him away, she was honestly shocked by how dumb this guy was.

"Wow." Courtney took a seat next to her. "He did the same thing to me."

Penny let out a frustrated breath. "Is it just me or the people that we have been getting lately have been off? Like…I don't know, Willie got fired and he was a fantastic camera man, we lost Laura and the audio has been shit ever since and just…" Penny gestured with her hands helplessly, she was trying to say something but couldn't put it into words.

But Courtney nodded as if she knew exactly what Penny was trying to say. "Yeah, I get what you mean."

Priya played with the hem of her shirt and tried to avoid looking up at Jonjon.

They were in a Starbucks close to the gym, it had been a few days since she asked for a break and after much thinking she thought she was ready for the conversation.

She heard their order being called and Jonjon stood up to go to the counter, giving her a little more time to think.

However, he was back in a moment. Wordlessly he set her hot matcha in front of her and she shot him a smile even if she felt like crying.

Jonjon returned the smile but there was no warmth behind it, just sadness.

She looked down at her cup and held it. The heat of the cup hurt her hands but she kept her hands on it, feeling like she deserved the pain.

"I…" Priya started, only to trail off after a moment.

She half expected Jonjon to say something but he stayed quiet. Glancing up at his face only made her feel worse.

He knew.

She could present a case without issues, but having this conversation? The hardest thing she had to do so far.

"I think that we should break up." The words fell out of her mouth and her body clenched. She wanted to run away.

"I'm sorry." Jonjon's voice cracked.

All of her determination faltered at that moment. Her mouth trembled and her eyes filled with tears. She pressed her lips together tightly to stop the sob trying to escape her.

She needed to tell him that it wasn't an easy decision to make, that she wanted to stay friends with him, that he was a great guy, that she had to deal with her own stuff first, that she did love him.

But her throat seized up and kept her quiet.

"I'm really sorry." Jonjon said again before standing up.

He stood in place for a long moment and she could feel him debate with himself but after what felt like not enough time and without another word, he left.

Priya angrily wiped at her eyes.

She was mad at him for ruining a great thing that they had. She was mad at herself for not trusting him fully. She was mad at Leonard for fucking up her life. She was mad at the world for being so unfair.

She kept her hold on the cup until the burning stopped and her hands radiated with pain. Standing up on shaky legs she tried to keep her head high as she walked to the entrance, but by the time she was there her eyes were glued to the floor.

Before leaving, she threw the full drink into the trash. She felt nauseous and couldn't stomach drinking anything right now.

She needed to go back to work.

Sheldon listened as Koothrappali argued that Sauron was both a physical and spiritual presence in middle earth while Wolowitz argued that Sauron's spirit was so strong that it became a physical entity on its own and that's why it couldn't possess another physical entity.

Usually, he would be an active participant in this conversation but something was occupying his thoughts.

"How do people know they're ready for marriage?" He asked out loud.

"Holy…" Koothrappali said unhelpfully.

"Frik, frik, frik, frik, frik. Sheldon's getting married before me. What the frik man?!" Wolowitz, like usual, had nothing smart to add.

Sheldon sighed in annoyance. It was rare but he had been mistaken to voice this question to his current lunch mates. He should have waited until Brian was available.

"Dude. You can't just say that and then stay quiet!" Koothrappali leaned across the table and whispered excitedly.

Sheldon pulled back in disgust as Koothrappali still had remains of the broccoli soup he had for lunch on his lips.

"Yeah, you're thinking of you and Penny right?" Wolowitz stated the obvious.

"This was a mistake." Sheldon grabbed his tray and prepared to stand up but he was held in place by Koothrappali.

"Nonononononono, you can't just leave!"

Sheldon wrinkled his nose and looked at where his shirt was being rumpled. A raised eyebrow was enough to be let go.

"I failed to take into consideration your lack of success in romantic liaisons, please do not mention this to Penny."

"Okay. First, ouch. Second, ouch. Third, I'm doing great with Bernadette!" Wolowitz puffed up his chest as if to prove a point. "Soon only Raj here will be alone. Sorry buddy, just stating a fact."

Koothrappali made a rude gesture towards Wolowitz and Sheldon looked around to make sure no one had noticed. "Shut up dude. I have a thing going on as well."

The two men in front of him devolved into childish bickering and Sheldon once again made a mental note to call Brian soon.

His mother's words ran through his mind. "Shelly, you better make an honest woman out of that girl."

Brian smiled and waved at the couple in the yard. He was showing a house and he was very close to getting the sale, he could feel it.

While he didn't love being a realtor, he would be lying if he said he didn't find any joy in it. His dad joked that it was in his blood because both his parents were realtors but Brian refused to make a career out of this. He wanted to help people.

But he couldn't deal with being a teacher anymore. He just couldn't do it. Erica was a mess of nerves every day after the shooting and while he tried to be strong for her, he wasn't doing much better. Looking at his classroom of kids, he couldn't help but wonder if every single one would be able to make it home by the end of the day.

So he quit and decided to go back to school to get his degree but he still needed bills to pay, thankfully his parents understood and happily gave him a job. He just had to renew his license and wham, bam, he was selling houses again.

But today, when he was meant to close this deal, Sheldon just kept calling him.

Brian had grown nervous because it was very unlike Sheldon to call him, at all, he would usually send him a message, so a call rang all kinds of bells and whistles in his mind.

He had invited the couple to check the yard while he made a call and then he had ran back inside into the living room and called Sheldon.

And Sheldon was not picking up.

What if something happened? What if Penny was hurt? What if Sheldon was hurt? Maybe Sheldon was in an accident and-

"Hello. Sheldon Cooper speaking." Sheldon's calm voice greeted him and Brian's smile grew a little strained.

"Hey Sheldon. Everything okay?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't things be okay?"

Brian hummed in annoyance. Of course. "Well, you know, the eight lost calls made me think something was up."

"Oh, I see. No. I just needed to ask you a question."

Brian closed his eyes and he made a noise in the back of his throat. Sheldon took it as a sign to keep talking.

"How do you know when is the right moment to ask someone to marry you?" Sheldon's honest and innocent tone of voice made the question hit harder.

Brian's mind filled with a thousand answers but in the end only one thing came to the front of his mind.

"Sheldon…bud. Have you talked about this with Penny before? I don't mean asking her to marry you, but just…if she even wants to get married, like at all? For that matter, do YOU want to get married?"

Silence filled the call and Brian looked up at the couple in the yard. They were lost in their own world and they were hugging and whispering to each other. They had talked about looking for a house to start having children.

"I don't know…" Sheldon sounded lost and Brian felt for him.

"Sheldon, look, I'm busy right now but this is a big decision and one that you can't take on your own. Couples talk about this, about long term plans and what they want out of the relationship. We can talk about this later, I'll call you after I'm done here and maybe we can go grab a coffee or something."

"I would appreciate guidance in this matter."

"You got it bud."

Sheldon stared blankly at the whiteboard. The numbers hadn't changed but they made no sense to him.

What did marriage mean?

The definition was easy. A legal or formal recognition of the union between two individuals in a personal relationship that love each other.

But what did it mean to him?

He was having a hard time finding the answer to that question. He and Brian had gone out to talk about it but he was still unable to find the answer.

Marriage. He thought about his parents and the word lost all meaning. His parents could barely tolerate each other, he failed to recall an instance of 'love' between them. His mother would still badmouth his father to this day.

Did he want to get married?

He wasn't sure. His talk with Brian didn't bring any new epiphanies or revelations to him.

Marriage.

Sheldon paused. He was going about this in the wrong manner. As much as he appreciated Brian's guidance, perhaps going the emotional route was not the answer.

Sheldon Cooper was a scientist, he needed to apply his usual methods to find the correct answer.

He erased the formulas and values on the whiteboard in front of him, thanks to his memory he would be able to restore them easily at a later date.

The white but slightly smudged surface greeted him and Sheldon wrote his own name on one side and then Penny's name on the other. His eyes moved from one name to the other for a moment before he wrote the word 'bond' in the middle of the board and then he drew lines from the names to the word.

Bond.

He had given things to Penny and she had in turn given things to him, they were a covalent bond. They shared the same electronegativities. Penny was oxygen and he was hydrogen, on their own they were enough and capable of great and terrible things.

But together they were H2O. Water. Stable in all states. Life bringer.

Sheldon blinked. Understanding flooding his mind.

Ah.

Penny yawned as she opened the door to the apartment. She was tired beyond belief and today only strengthened her resolve to leave Smosh, she no longer felt comfortable and the workload was close to being unreasonable.

Thankfully she had already seen this coming from a mile away and she had applied for the writer position for CollegeHumor. And since she had already sold a couple of sketches to them, it was much easier to be looked at seriously.

She was still auditioning for other roles but if she was fully honest with herself, she no longer dreamed about being the next Angelina Jolie. Not that she hated acting or anything like that, but she knew now that life wasn't as easy as she had imagined.

And her life was good. Who knows, maybe one day she would be a successful writer/actor. She had also thought about creating her own YouTube channel but she didn't want to be Smosh-Lite, so she stopped herself.

"Sheldon, I'm home!" She called out after changing out of her shoes and into her slippers.

Penny waited for a moment and then frowned when Sheldon didn't reply. She shouldered her backpack and moved to their bedroom to put it away in the closet. There was no sign of Sheldon being at home and that fact made her nervous. It was a Wednesday early afternoon and he should have been at home.

Walking slowly towards the living room, she pulled her phone but there were no messages or even lost calls from Sheldon. Frowning, she looked around as she tried to think what to do next. Her eyes stopped on Sheldon's whiteboard.

Sheldon - bond - Penny = Water

She rarely stopped to look at his whiteboard but seeing her name made her stop. Penny tilted her head as she stared at the whiteboard before shaking her head.

"Wackadoodle." She muttered to herself before taking her phone and calling Sheldon.

Brian kept his eyes on the road as he drove Sheldon home. He was trying his best to not blurt a million questions, he knew that Sheldon would simply shut down.

"So, that is a nice ring." He dared a quick look at Sheldon and saw him nod. "I'm guessing that your talk with Penny went well?"

"Oh. I haven't discussed this with her yet." Sheldon looked way too comfortable for what he had just admitted.

Brian nodded a couple of times but kept his initial 'Why the hell are you buying a ring then?' inside. Instead, he asked what he thought was a fair question. "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself then? I mean, you still don't know if Penny wants to get married, so an engagement ring might be-"

Sheldon's ringing phone interrupted him. "One moment." Sheldon picked up the call and Brian listened as Sheldon assured Penny that he would be home soon. No mention of the ring he had just helped Sheldon buy.

When Sheldon hung up, Brian repeated his question. "Isn't an engagement ring assuming a lot of things?"

"Oh, this isn't an engagement ring."

Brian waited for Sheldon to keep going but the other man didn't look like he was going to explain more.

"Okay, so why did you buy a ring?"

Brian listened as Sheldon explained his reasoning and he had to admit that it made a lot of sense in a very Sheldon-like kind of way.

Penny put the phone down and bit her lip. Sheldon was okay but something was definitely up. Maybe it was-

The rumbling of her stomach interrupted her thoughts.

She hadn't been able to take her lunch break and she was hungry as heck. But it was still way too early for dinner. She moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge, she eyed the contents and sucked on her teeth at seeing nothing that she wanted to eat.

She squatted and rummaged the bottom shelf of the fridge, she let out a cheer at finding a slice of Starbucks cheesecake. She had bought this on Monday and forgotten about it until now. Grabbing a fork, she went to town on the cake.

She was on the last bite when she heard the front door open. Penny hadn't even propped up her phone with a video or anything so she was able to hear the sounds of Sheldon shuffling as he changed into his slippers, she smiled with a full mouth as she imagined him carefully removing his shoes before blasting them with Lysol.

Penny watched as Sheldon walked into view, his profile framed by the doorway. He turned towards the balcony searching for her, after a moment he turned towards the open door of the kitchen and she watched as a small and honest smile crossed his face.

She quickly chewed and swallowed the last of the pie still in her mouth before standing up and going up to him to give him a quick kiss but just as she tried to step back Sheldon pulled her flush against him and she melted into his arms.

It still surprised her how comfortable Sheldon became with physical contact. Mr-I'm-above-my-urges was actually another healthy human male…not that she was complaining, not at all.

Sheldon deepened the kiss and her hand went to his neck and she ran her fingers on his slightly long nape hair. He needed a haircut.

Her other hand went under his shirt and she almost laughed at feeling his undershirt, she had forgotten about the layers. But then Sheldon bit her lip and all ideas of laughing left her mind, she instead bit him back and their kissing went from loving to intense.

She felt a familiar ache between her legs and she moaned in delight.

Penny was hungry again and she was planning on getting so full.

Erica smiled and opened her mouth to greet Brian but she stopped at his look. "Everything okay babe?" She pouted and approached him.

Brian looked up and smiled at her and she felt her heart skip a beat. Her friends joked that she loved Brian too much, but that was the truth. She loved this man with all her life.

"It's all good. I was just with Sheldon and…" He trailed off, frowning. "I know we talked about this before but…"

Erica frowned, concerned. It was very rare for Brian to be at a loss of words, he was usually very quick to make conversation, it was what made him such a great salesman. Much to his chagrin.

"But?" She encouraged him and caressed his cheek, to make him feel safe but also to make him look at her.

Brian's eyes were bright and full of love. It made her smile and she was happy to see him smile back.

"We've been together for so long, we're very far away from those nineteen year olds." Erica's smile turned warmer, remembering their old selves. She was very far away from the naive girl that thought she could save the world easily.

"I remember a time when you thought you could grow a beard." She joked while rubbing her hand on his smooth cheek and Brian chuckled. He was never able to grow a full beard but that didn't stop him from trying during their college years.

"And I remember a time when you refused to wear your glasses." Brian said as his hand lovingly caressed her cheek, lightly bumping the rim of her glasses.

"I thought they made me look ugly."

"And I thought they made you look even more beautiful."

She kissed him, softly, lovingly.

"Marry me." Brian whispered in her ear after they separated, before he kissed her temple.

"Yes." She answered without hesitation, because there was nothing to think about.

Erica had never told anyone this but she had decided that Brian was the man she would marry. She came to this decision after their third date, when she got food poisoning and puked on his lap. Brian had only been concerned with taking care of her.

"I love you Barbie."

"I love you Ken."

They only used those nicknames when they were alone. They were private and no one else could have them.

Penny felt good, she had been sleepy when she got home but not anymore. What she was feeling though, was hunger. That slice of cheesecake had been enough to hold her over but now she was hungry again.

She usually liked cuddling at least a little with Sheldon but today she was way too hungry.

"I know that we're supposed to have pizza tonight, but I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner at that place down the street, you know, the one with those subs." Penny told Sheldon as she put on her jeans.

"Okay."

"C'mon! You have to try new things from…wait, you said okay?" Penny stopped dressing to turn an incredulous look at her boyfriend.

Sheldon sighed, as if the unreasonable one was her. "As soon as we moved here I started my research of the restaurants, delis and fast food places that were within delivery distance. The place you're referring to, 'Green Delights' have had constant positive reviews and they've passed their last six restaurant reviews with an 'A' grade which the state considers as 'Generally superior in food handling practices and overall food facility maintenance.' As such, I am confident that we can have dinner there without either of us succumbing to food poisoning."

Penny gaped at Sheldon. It was true that he had come a long way from the man he was when she first met him, but it still surprised her when he was able to step away from his comfort zone to try new things. Her shocked look quickly turned into a proud smile.

"I'm proud of you Hon."

Of course he was still Sheldon, so before they could leave he had to take a ten minute shower. Time which she used to reply to her messages, one from Missy asking if they were going to Texas any time soon and another one from Courtney that was asking her to consider her decision to leave Smosh. She answered to both with a very firm 'No' and then she muted her phone.

She didn't want to think about work or responsibilities right now, she just wanted a damn sandwich.

Thankfully the place wasn't that busy so they were able to snag a table while they waited for their orders. Takeout, because as much as Sheldon might approve of the place, he still wanted to eat at home while they watched Mythbusters and for that matter that was also what she wanted.

"Oh Penny. It almost slipped my mind." Sheldon rummaged through his pocket for a moment before showing her his closed hand, it was obvious he wanted to give her something so she put her palm out.

"What?" Sheldon opened his hand and something fell out, she felt it hit her hand but it was light. She furrowed her brow in thought but nothing could have prepared for the sight of a beautiful silver ring sitting on her open hand.

Penny stared speechlessly at the ring. It was unique, the ring was open and the 'face' of it had a weird design that tickled her memory but she couldn't pinpoint it.

"Sheldon?" She asked breathlessly.

"Penny. Recently I was forced to reexamine the nature of our relationship and bond. As I was made aware by my mother that I needed to 'make an honest woman out of you' or in other words I had to marry you. But I did not understand the concept of marriage beyond the colloquial knowledge of the word. My mother and father were not a proper example and the representations in the media always seemed vapid and unrealistic to my eyes." Sheldon looked her in the eye as she sat there, frozen.

"I requested Brian's help to understand what marriage meant and while his assistance was enlightening, I found myself still at a loss. As you know, at times emotions are hard for me to understand and quantify…but not science. My life has always been marked by science so I decided to approach this subject with the same approach I would use for something I don't fully understand." Sheldon paused, he tilted his head like a puppy and smiled softly.

"We share a bond, one that is naturally occurring and stable. We provide things to one another until we reach a natural state of being. You're oxygen and I'm hydrogen. On our own we're capable of many great things, but together we are so much more…hypothetically speaking of course."

Penny couldn't help it, she laughed. "Is this how you're telling me that you love me?"

Sheldon looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I suppose it is one way to look at it. Penny, you're a force of chaos in my life. One that appeared to throw my life out of orbit. Thank you."

Penny choked up. "I love you Sweetie."

Sheldon smiled at her. "I love you too."

"What are these shapes?" She turned the ring in her hand.

"This is a visual representation of dopamine and serotonin or as some people call them, the love hormones."

Penny felt that her smile would break her face. She could feel the tears already starting to fall but she didn't care. "I love it. But, wait, you mentioned marriage…" She didn't miss THAT part.

"Ah, yes. Penny. I have no plans to enter a relationship with any other individual or person in the short or long term. I believe that you are an anomaly and that without you I would not have been subjected to these feelings and emotions. I am unable to fathom a future without you and the thought of it fills me with anxiety and trepidation. Until now, marriage had not been part of my plans for life, but should you desire, I will be more than happy and willing to formalize our bond in the eyes of the law."

Penny opened her mouth in shock. "This is an engagement ring?"

Sheldon let out an annoyed breath. "No, I believe I was clear enough about what the ring represen-"

She didn't let him finish because in a moment she had crossed the small table and landed on his lap, whatever he was about to say was swallowed by her mouth.

Sometimes Sheldon spoke too much. She knew what he was saying behind all those big words. 'I love you and I want to marry you.'

And for Penny there was only one answer. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. "Yes Sweetie, I'll marry you."

Sheldon blinked and she could see his mouth twitch with the effort of trying not to smile.

Wackadoodle.