A/N: The story is completely written, so updates will be frequent. It's 4 chapters, 15,078 words total. I wrote most of this 6 months ago, but never finished it; decided I should finally dust it off again and finish it.

A/N 2: Pre-S1/Early S1, but set in approximately the current year; so 2018 technology/movies/etc.

Sheldon knew it was 'date night'. But he really, really didn't want to go. She would be as pushy as ever, forcing him to go to some restaurant he didn't approve of, and then attempting to spread her germs to him. He'd managed to avoid all her attempts to kiss his lips so far, but even he could only be so vigilant. Eventually she would manage to surprise him. There had been a few close calls already, and as soon as she successfully executed a lip on lip kiss, she'd move on to attempting even more physical intimacy. He was sick and tired of it, but everyone he knew insisted he date this girl; his roommate, his roommate's friends, his mother, and, of course, his 'girlfriend'. Sure, she was highly intelligent, and he liked talking science with her, but could no one understand that he had absolutely no interest in her romantically? Just because they all believed everyone should have sex all the time and eventually get married didn't mean he did.

He opened a new tab on his laptop. He knew he would have hell to pay for this tomorrow, but he would deal with that when the time came. He pulled up the city's restaurant health reviews website, and searched for somewhere to escape to. None of his regular places would work, they would search all of those when he didn't show up for mandatory date night; he'd tried skipping out before, and they had always tracked him down and forced him to have date night at whatever restaurant he was trying to escape at.

After thirty minutes of searching, he finally found one within walking distance of both the university, and his apartment. If he was going to have to eat at a restaurant he was unsure about, he certainly didn't want to have to take the bus as well.

Ten minutes before he was supposed to be off work, he slipped out of his office and quietly locked the door behind him. After his numerous recent attempts to escape date night, his roommate and his roommate's two friends had started showing up at his office five minutes before work let out to make sure he didn't escape.

Twenty minutes later, he found himself walking into the parking lot of the restaurant he had found. He had little doubt that he had already received several dozen calls and texts, but as he had turned his phone off before he left his office, his phone was pleasantly silent. Walking into the restaurant, he found himself seated at a table in the corner a few minutes later. He was intently looking at his menu whenever the waitress came over. Briefly glancing up at her, he saw that she was what society would deem 'aesthetically pleasing', but he also noticed that there seemed to be something slightly off about her. He had never been able to understand human emotions, but there was definitely something wrong.

"Hi. Welcome to the Cheesecake Factory. My name is Penny, I'll be taking care of you this evening. What can I get you to drink?"

Sheldon ordered a water, and went back to studying the menu.

When she returned with his drink a few minutes later, he looked at her more fully. There was definitely some emotion hidden behind her cheerful smile, but it was one he didn't immediately recognize. It wasn't the anger his girlfriend had every time he parried her advances. It wasn't the frustration his roommate seemed to perpetually have on his face anytime he was around Sheldon. It seemed more similar to the looks his mother and sister used to occasionally have when he was still a child at home, or visiting on break from college and graduate school, but he had never fully learned what those meant.

"Do you know what you want to order?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

She definitely sounded tired, that much he could tell.

"Well, I have never eaten here before, so I don't know what's good."

"Well, what'd'ya like at other restaurants?" she asked. She'd had a rough few weeks, and this evening hadn't been any better, so she wasn't really in the mood to help difficult customers. But this one seemed a little different, and at least wasn't trying to touch her or flirt with her, and he really did seem out of his comfort zone.

"Well, at Big Boy I get 'the Big Boy'—" he began.

"Then why don't you get the Barbecue Burger. It's pretty close." She was willing to help him, but she still wasn't in the mood to put up with a long-winded discussion.

After looking at the BBQ Burger description on the menu for several more seconds, Sheldon finally said, "All right, I'll have the barbecue bacon cheeseburger, barbecue sauce, bacon, and cheese on the side."

As he waited on his food, he thought back over their brief interaction, and what he could notice from watching her wait on her other tables. He wasn't really the type to care about other people's feelings — okay, he never cared about other people's feelings — but there was something about this girl that he just couldn't get out of his mind. It was like his eidetic memory was trying to tell him something, but for the first time in his life he wasn't sure what it was.

So when she brought him his food, he said, "Penny, I don't mean to pry, and I'm certainly not one for understanding emotions, but you seem to be upset about something."

A minute later, Penny found herself sitting in the chair across from him, pouring out her life story to him. She had no clue how it had happened, but now that she had started, she had to get it all out. It didn't matter what he thought of her once she finished (it's not like she'd ever see him again, anyway), it just felt really good to have somebody to finally tell everything to; and he was a really good listener (well, he never interrupted her at least, even if she wasn't sure he was actually listening to anything she said).

When she got to the part about Kurt cheating on her, and implications of abuse, it finally clicked in Sheldon's brain why her expressions had seemed somehow familiar even though he didn't recognize them; it was similar to the looks his mother had had whenever his father had gotten particularly drunk, or the occasional times he'd been home from graduate school and his sister had come home from one of her boyfriends.

When she finally finished her story, Sheldon handed her a napkin to wipe away the tears she had started shedding by the middle of her story. He knew she needed comfort and encouragement, but he had no idea how to provide it. Since he didn't know how to comfort her, he decided to instead address what he saw as the pressing issue instead.

"Penny, if you don't mind me asking, why do you stay with him if he's cheating on you and abusing you?"

When he said 'abusing you', Penny turned beet red and stuttered, "I-I never said he was abusing me."

"You had the same look on your face when I first saw you that my mother and sister used to have when my father was drunk or when my sister came back from some of her less trustworthy boyfriends. And if I'm not mistaken, a blush is a common reaction when one is embarrassed about a truth someone has revealed about them."

Penny went even redder as she looked down at her hands. She finally whispered, "I'm scared," hoping he couldn't hear her.

Unfortunately for her (or perhaps fortunately), she didn't know that her customer had Vulcan hearing. Sheldon sat looking at her for several minutes, unsure of how to help her. After a couple minutes, wiping the last of her tears away, Penny stood up and said with a small smile, "I have to get back to work, but thank you for listening."

A few minutes later, she returned with a slice of cheesecake, and setting it down in front of him, said, "This is thanks for taking the time to listen to me."

Sheldon hadn't said a word to her after she had almost silently admitted that she was scared, but when she picked up his bill after he had left, she saw he had included a short note along with a sizable tip. It said;

I am sorry for not being more comforting, but I had no clue how. However, even though I do not know you, I do not wish for you to have to go through what you're going through. I have left my cell phone number at the bottom, please call or text me if you would like to talk. I also work at Cal-Tech, office 42, if you would like to talk in person.

—Dr. Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D. (x2)

It wasn't until he was outside that Sheldon remembered that he was trying to avoid his girlfriend and roommate, and that he still had several hours to go if he was to do so successfully. He decided that his safest bet was to go back to the University and hide in one of the teacher's lounges that he had keys for. Perks of being a tenured scientist on the fast track for a Nobel.

He had nearly drifted off to sleep lying on one of the couches when his iPhone buzzed. He'd turned his phone back on when he left the restaurant in case Penny decided to take him up on his offer. When he looked at it, he saw a message from Penny (along with a few dozen unlooked at messages, calls and voicemails from everyone else he knew, including his mother);

This is Penny, from the cheesecake factory. Thanks again for listening. I was wondering if you might be willing to have lunch tomorrow to talk. I have the evening shift again, so I can meet whenever your lunch break is. Thx

Sheldon thought for a second, and then quickly texted back; Does 12:00 at the café just off campus work for you? It's called 'The Café at the End of the Universe-ity'.

He didn't go there often, but it met his health requirements (if just barely), and he knew that none of his friends or girlfriend would go looking for him there. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he didn't want them to meet Penny yet.

A few minutes later she texted back; Sounds good, sweetie. C u there

He looked at the time on his phone; he should really go home, it was getting quite late. He didn't mind walking from the University to his apartment building in the dark — he had his everyday carry (a Berreta M9) on his hip like always, after all — but he was slightly worried that Amy and Leonard would still be up, waiting for him to get back to his apartment. So he lay his phone on the ground next to the couch he was lying on, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Sheldon was awoken by the sound of one of the PhD candidates who taught several undergraduate classes, unlocking the teachers' lounge door. He looked up at the young female as she entered the room; he had always considered her to be aesthetically pleasing, but after having met Penny the night before, she didn't seem to quite match up to the waitress's physical appearance.

"Morning, Dr. Cooper," the brunette said pleasantly as she walked over to the coffee machine. Unlike most of the female PhD candidates, who constantly hounded him, much to his, and his roommate's, irritation — his, because he had no interest in being propositioned by every pretty female that came through, and his roommate's, because he was never the one being propositioned — this one was content with light pleasantries and the occasional scientific discussion on the more advanced points of string theory, and Sheldon appreciated that.

"Good morning," he replied succinctly, sitting up and grabbing his phone off the floor.

After a brief discussion with her about the progress of her doctoral thesis, he snuck into his office a few minutes before the trio plus one usually arrived for work, and locked his door so that he couldn't be interrupted. It didn't take long before said friends began accosting his door. After a couple hours of unsuccessful attempts to gain entry, including several failed attempts to pick the lock (Sheldon had installed specialty locks so that no one could break in and steal his research), they finally went away; in no small part to Dr. Gablehauser walking through the hallway, asking them why they weren't in their offices working, after Sheldon called Dr. Gablehauser, telling him he couldn't get a hold of any of them on their office phones.

Fifteen minutes before twelve, Sheldon cautiously snuck out of his office, locking it behind him, and took a back way through the halls to get out onto the campus, before heading to the café. Arriving just at the strike of noon, he saw Penny seated in a secluded corner booth, beneath a large "Don't Panic" sign. He quickly made his way over to her, and sat down.

Meanwhile, in the University cafeteria, Leonard, Howard, Raj, and Amy sat down at their normal table for lunch.

"Still no word on Sheldon's whereabouts?" Leonard asked the table. The table sat there, as motionless and silent as ever. Everyone sitting around the table shook their heads and mumbled in the negative. "He never came back to the apartment last night, and we couldn't find him at any of his normal restaurants or the University," Leonard continued.

"Missing Dr. Dumbass?" smirked Dr. Leslie Winkle as she strolled up, planting herself in front of their table. "Maybe he's just avoiding you guys," she continued smugly. "I saw him sneaking through the back corridors about ten minutes ago, I assume heading out to lunch somewhere."

"He was here?" asked Amy, excitedly.

"Not to begin to sound like Dr. Dumbass, but yeah, that's what I just said," replied Leslie with a roll of her eyes. "Well, best of luck finding him. Or not, I could care less," she finished as she strolled off.

As soon as she was gone, Leonard leaned forward and whispered loudly, "All right, we need to put one person outside his office, someone at the front and back entrances of the building, and I'll call off work for the day and go back to the apartment in case he tries to go there."

They all quickly agreed, and after settling where each of them was to go, they headed off; Leonard to the apartment, Amy to Sheldon's office, and Howard and Raj to cover the two main entrances.

Back at the café, Sheldon and Penny had placed their orders. Once the waitress walked away, Penny said, "So you pretty much know my life story from last night, but what about you? Other than you saying you were a doctor in the note you left me, and mentions of your family, I don't really know anything about you. And no offense, but if I'm going to talk to you, I'd kind of like to know something about who I'm talking to."

"Of course. Smart girl," replied Sheldon. "I am Doctor Sheldon Cooper, double Ph.D." He then proceeded to tell her all about himself, from being a child genius, to earning two , to his goal of one day winning the Nobel Prize.

When he finished, Penny said, "So you're, one of those, beautiful mind genius guys."

"Yeah," he replied bashfully, looking down at his hands.

"Well, you seem trustworthy," responded Penny. "So does your offer to talk still stand?"

"Of course, Penny. Else I wouldn't be here."

"Alright then, here goes. Last night you asked why I didn't break up with Kurt. And the truth is —"

"You're scared," interrupted Sheldon, nodding his head slightly.

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know that?" said Penny, surprised. "Oh, wait, you said your mother and sister had been through the same thing."

"No. I heard you say it last night. I just didn't know how to respond. I have Vulcan hearing, so I hear everything, and I have eidetic memory, so I remember everything."

"Wait, Vulcan hearing, isn't that like some kind of Star Trek thing or something?" asked Penny.

"Well done, Penny!" replied Sheldon, with the first real smile she'd seen from him.

"Hey, I like some sci-fi and action movies. On a dare from a fellow acting student who saw me watching Star Trek: Into Darkness on my phone before class, I memorized a bunch of the Klingon language, and would do some of the lines we were practicing in class in Klingon for her before class started. I figured there was no reason to ever mention that I'd memorized most of Sindarian in high school after reading the Lord of the Rings," Penny finished with a smile, proud of herself.

"I wouldn't have taken a waitress slash aspiring actress to be a sci-fi fantasy nerd," replied Sheldon in surprise.

"Other than those two things, I wouldn't really consider myself a nerd. But I do like some of the less 'girly' things every now and then," answered Penny. "But since I know you have work to get back to, let's get back to what I really wanted to talk about. Yes, I'm scared to leave Kurt. It's not exactly that I think he'll come find me and hurt me if I leave him, but it's just really hard to leave him. I've been with him the past four years, I moved out here with him from Nebraska, pretty much the only friends I have are his friends, I don't have a clue where I'd live if I left him…"

She looked like she was about to cry again, which was disturbing Sheldon more than a crying woman usually did.

"There, there," said Sheldon awkwardly, reaching across the table to lightly pat her hand a couple times. It was the sheer unusualness of it that caused Penny's forming tears to stop. When he said he didn't have a clue how to be comforting, he wasn't kidding; though in a weird way, that made his awkward attempts at being comforting more comforting than most guys' shallow attempts at comfort that were just meant to enable them to get back to whatever they had been doing as quickly as possible.

"Sorry," she said, wiping away the few tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm just completely lost."

"Well, it's not my place to say, but I do think you would be better off without him," said Sheldon slowly.

"No, you're right," replied Penny. "I was thinking about it all last night after we talked, and I do need to leave him. I just don't know how. I need someone to help me, and you're the only person I trust to do so; even though I just met you."

Before Sheldon could reply, the waitress arrived with their food. They ate in a comfortable silence for several minutes, before Sheldon finally said, "I don't know how I can help you, but I would like to try. One thing I left out of my life story was that I too am, if you will, trapped in a relationship I have no desire to be in. My friends and family have all pressured me into a relationship with this girl, and while I have no problem being friends with her, there is nothing vaguely romantic about my feelings toward her. But my friends and family either refuse to understand that, or don't care. So while it's not as bad as your relationship sounds, I somewhat understand what you are going through, and I would like to help you."

"Well, perhaps we can help each other somehow," replied Penny.

An hour later, Penny looked at the time on her phone and gasped. "I had no idea what time it was! I'm so sorry, I've made you really late for work!"

She had started to scramble up when Sheldon calmly said, "I already informed my boss that I wouldn't be coming back in this afternoon. I called him when you went to use the restroom."

"Oh." was all Penny could think to say as she sat back down. "You didn't have to do that. My problems shouldn't keep you from work."

"I believe we agreed that they are our problems now," he responded, "since you agreed to help me with my own problematic relationship. And anyway, I have no doubt my friends and girlfriend are lying in wait to ambush me if I go back to the University. With any luck, they'll be caught by our boss again, and maybe they won't spend all their time at work bothering me after this. So please, continue, I have all afternoon."

At four thirty, Penny finally said goodbye to Sheldon, thanking him once again for being willing to talk to her and help her. Before heading to her car, she gave him a quick kiss on the side of his cheek. From their talk, she knew he was a mysophobe (and had learned what a mysophobe was), but as outgoing of a person as she was, she couldn't help but give some expression of her thanks. When he didn't pull away or say anything about it, she smiled to herself.

After he watched her get in her car and drive off, he began the walk back to his apartment. Thirty minutes later, right at five o'clock, he walked up the stairs to apartment 4A. He briefly glanced over at the now empty apartment across the hall, 4B. Their 200 pound transvestite neighbor with the skin condition had moved out the week before, and so far no one new had moved in. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the ensuing fireworks, he opened the door to his apartment.