Thank you to everyone for the warm and heartfelt welcome back. I've missed all of you, too.

Missy Cooper was almost certain she was going to hate this. Now, don't get her wrong, she loved her brother but there was no denying Shelly had a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Plus, he was kind of weird. He always had been. And according to their Momma, so were his friends. She sighed heavily, adjusted the strap of her purse and knocked on his door. The faster she got this visit started, the faster it would be over with. The door opened and she pasted a smile on her face.

"Hi, Shelly!"

"You look confused."

Missy looked at the redhead with wide eyes. "A little," she admitted.

Stephanie laughed softly and looked over at the others. Sheldon and Leonard were standing at one end of the couch, their shoulders tense, their expressions alarmed. Howard and Penny were at the other end of the couch, their expressions gleeful as they cheered one another on.

"Well, it's simple, really. Our friend Raj is on a date, so Howard asked Penny to play Halo with them. Sheldon and Leonard thought it would be an easy win. However, Penny is much more adept at video games than they supposed she would be." Stephanie offered Missy a soda and smiled. "That's not really what has you confused, though, is it?"

Missy looked back at her brother and studied him closely. When she had knocked, he had answered the door, given her a calm nod and requested she make herself comfortable until the battle was over. That was almost an hour ago. "To be honest, I expected a lot of twitching, a bit of annoyance, and a lecture on how I should have called ahead to let him know I was coming. I didn't warn him so he couldn't make arrangements to be out of town," Missy replied.

Stephanie laughed again and shook her head. "If it wasn't Halo night, you probably would have gotten the annoyance and lecture, but there's no way Sheldon could have left town right now."

"Why is that?" Missy asked.

"Penny needs him," Stephanie said simply. "She had a bit of a career setback recently, and it left her feeling really down. Sheldon's been a big help getting her over it. In fact, if it wasn't for Howard and Sheldon, I think she might have given up and moved back to Nebraska."

Missy's eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed like a fish a few times. "Shelly? My brother, Sheldon Cooper?"

Stephanie frowned at the pretty brunette. Okay, so Sheldon wasn't the easiest person to deal with, but his sister made it sound like he was a jerk. "You seem surprised," she said coolly.

Missy snorted loudly. "Look, he's my brother, so I love him, but Shelly's always been pretty clueless. I just can't imagine that he would be any help to someone have a bad day. Shelly's famous for his lack of empathy and compassion."

The sudden silence in the room drew Stephanie's and Missy's attention. Sheldon was standing ramrod stiff, his face flushed a deep red. Leonard and Howard looked uneasy. It was Penny's expression that made Stephanie cringe. She looked madder than a bee-stung bull.

Sheldon set aside his controller. "Excuse me," he said softly, before turning and walking stiffly down the hall. Penny handed Howard her controller, her eyes like green flames as she looked at Missy.

Missy stood, not noticing (or possibly ignoring) the anger in Penny's eyes. "I swear it's a hassle every time we get together," she muttered.

Penny headed toward the hallway, blocking Missy. "You just embarrassed him in front of his friends. The last person he wants to talk to, right now, is you."

Missy's eyes widened in surprise, even as her temper flared. She was a Cooper and no one got between two Coopers. "Word of advice," Missy warned, "it's not smart to get in the middle of a Cooper problem. Now, I hafta go get my brother out of his funk, so step aside."

"Word of advice," Penny shot back, "no one picks on my Sheldon. Not ever, even if it's a sibling. So sit your tail back down and get to thinking up an apology."

Before a Missy could shake off her shock, Penny spun on her heel and stomped back toward the bedrooms.

Howard cleared his throat, drawing everyone's eyes. "Maybe we should order some pizza. Penny'll have him back out here in a couple of minutes, and I'm sure they'll be as hungry as I am."

Missy looked at each person with confusion. "Okay, can someone please explain to me what the hell's going on here?"

"What do you mean?" asked Leonard warily.

"Okay, Shelly having friends is something I can accept, even though, growing up, he shunned every living soul around. I even get that he could possibly have a female friend. It's a bit of a stretch, but not totally unbelievable. But a girlfriend? No way."

Leonard's jaw dropped in surprise. "Wha...what? Sheldon and Penny? They're not dating."

"But she said he was her Sheldon," Missy pointed out.

"And I'm her Howard," Howard said. "And that's her Leonard, her Stephanie, and so on. When it comes to her friends, Penny is very protective. You insulted Sheldon and she is like a momma lion protecting her cub."

Stephanie nodded as she hung up from ordering the pizzas. "It took me a little time to get used to it, myself. Penny doesn't mean 'her Sheldon' in a romantic sense, but in a territorial way."

"I'm his sister," Missy said testily. "I think I come in a little higher than a friend!"

Leonard and Stephanie exchanged dubious looks and Howard laughed lightly. "Maybe. But she's not the one who made him feel bad."

Penny rapped softly on Sheldon's door before pushing it open. She spotted him curled up on his bed facing away from her. "Hey, sweetie. Can I come in?"

"No one is allowed in my room," he mumbled.

Penny sighed and slipped inside anyway, shutting the door behind her. "Are you okay?" she asked, walking over and sitting down behind him.

"I am fine," he said in a small voice.

Penny shifted until she was able to curl her legs underneath her. She began gently rubbing his back. She felt him tense but at least he didn't pull away. "Oh sweetie, your sister didn't mean to upset you. She just doesn't understand you, I think."

Sheldon was silent for several seconds. "No one ever does," he admitted in a hurt tone. "I should be accustomed to it by now. All my life I have been called an oddball, or weirdo or freak. It is the jealous rantings of inferior minds. "

"I don't think you're a weirdo or freak, Sheldon. I think you're a beautiful mind. Do you remember what you told me when I was depressed over my failed auditions?"

"Penny, I have an eidetic memory," he said stiffly. "Of course I remember!"

She rolled her eyes, but continued on anyway. "You told me it didn't matter what those producers and directors said. I had to have confidence in myself."

He shifted until he was facing her. "I also told you that there were other careers in the movie business that you might be better suited to. You almost punched me for that."

Penny rolled her eyes but gave him a soft smile. "And I'm telling you, now, that it doesn't matter what anyone says about you. You need to remember that you have friends who care about you a great deal. You are important to us. Don't let anyone make you think you're not a wonderful friend."

Sheldon wanted to believe her, but he had 26 years experience with people saying the same sorts of things his sister had said. "You have known me 8 months. My sister has known me 26 years."

Penny bit her bottom lip and reached out to thread her fingers in his. "Okay. I wasn't going to tell you about this until I was a little more certain, but here goes. Your sister may have grown up with you, but she obviously doesn't know you. I do. I know you well enough to take your advice to heart. I'm going to go back to school."

Sheldon sat up in surprise and Penny smiled shyly. "I'm going to stay on with the group at the theater because, who knows, maybe someday I really will get on stage, but I've been thinking about what you said. You know, about other careers? Mrs. W suggested some writing classes. When I first moved here I tried my hand at writing a screen play."

She grimaced and looked down at their hands. "It's crap, and I know it, but Mrs. W thinks that I can get better. And Howard thinks that I'm very creative. So, I filled out a bunch of applications and turned them back in. I start in 5 weeks for the fall semester. And it's all because of you, Sheldon."

She took a deep breath and gave him a smile. "So, no, I don't think you're weird. I think that without you helping me, I'd still be a depressed wreck wondering if I was ever going to amount to anything."

Sheldon felt a warmth in his stomach that he had never experienced before. He had been lauded for his intelligence many times. He had been commended for his scientific mind on several occasions. This was the first time anyone had ever praised him for his friendship.

Penny grinned and slid from the bed, drawing him with her. "Come on, sweetie. I'm hungry and you promised pizza."

Sheldon stood and gave her a nod. "Very well. Although I'm not sure I still owe you pizza. It's obvious you cheated."

Penny gasped as he opened the door. "What?!"

"No one as beautiful as you could possibly be skilled at video games."

Her eyes narrowed as they walked back down the hallway and rejoined the others. "I'd punch you if there wasn't a compliment in there somewhere."

"Shelly?"

Sheldon looked at his sister calmly. "Yes, Missy?"

"I, uh, owe you an apology," she said with a bit of embarrassment.

"No need," he replied. "You simply do not know me as well as my friends do."

Missy stared at her brother in surprise as he looked down at Penny and smiled. Suddenly she realized they were right. She really didn't know him. Not any more.