Chapter Seven

December 27th

Penny entered the train compartment to find Sheldon already in his Sunday pajamas and tucked into his bunk typing away at his laptop. She stowed her toiletry bag in her suitcase and pulled out a small package wrapped in red and green Christmas paper. Penny plunked herself on the edge of the bed next to Sheldon's knees and handed the package to him.

"Penny, why are you giving me a Christmas present when it is two days past Christmas?" Sheldon wondered if there was some sort of relationship ritual that he had missed.

Penny rolled her eyes at him. "It's not from me, it's from Duke. He handed it to me when he dropped us off for the bus. He said it was for the both of us and not to open it until we were ready for bed."

"That's odd." Sheldon turned the box over in his hands and shook it. He could hear something lightly rattle inside. "I wonder what it could be."

Penny said cheekily. "A very smart man once told me the only way to find out is to open it! Oh wait, there's a card too!" Penny quickly retrieved the card and returned to sit next to Sheldon. She tore open the envelope to reveal a card with a bucolic snow scene. She flipped it open and in Duke's tight script it only said 'You're ready'. She looked at Sheldon with raised eyebrows.

Sheldon carefully slid his fingers under the tape and removed the paper. As soon as it was unwrapped he started to sputter out useless trivia and wouldn't make eye contact with Penny. "Did you know that the Trojan War was started after Paris stole Helen from her husband Menelaus?"

Penny saw the box of condoms and faintly blushed. She reached over and closed Sheldon's laptop, and put it away in his messenger bag, all while Sheldon kept spewing information about the Achaeans and Spartans.

"That was the movie with Brad Pitt?" Penny climbed into the bunk and put her hands on Sheldon's face so he would look at her.

"Yes." Sheldon answered, but could not meet her eyes. He was blushing furiously and Penny could feel the heat from his face in her hands.

Penny leaned in and kissed Sheldon on the neck just slightly under his ear. "I don't want to talk about the Greeks."

Sheldon shivered and sighed. "What do you want to talk about?"

Penny's lips whispered across his cheek. "I want to talk about trains."

"Trains?" Sheldon finally looked into her eyes and was riveted. He raised his hand to brush a strand of Penny's hair away from her face.

"Yeah, I really like…trains." Penny kissed the corner of his mouth. "In fact, I think I love…trains."

Sheldon, for once in his life, picked up on the subtlety of what Penny was saying. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "I love…trains too."

fin.

A/N: I hope you have all enjoyed this. I hope to in the future continue the saga of my AU Sheldon & Penny. Maybe a trip to her parents at Easter? I'm not promising anything, but it's rattling around in my brain. I've got a picture in my mind of Penny's parents (think Virginia Madsen and Clancy Brown). And whenever I think of MeeMaw I see Frances Sternhagen.

Thank you again for all the kind reviews, they really keep me going. Live long and prosper!