Well, hell. Penny has quit the station. Bernadette is staying on to be producer for Penny's replacement. Sheldon doesn't know what to do.

Sheldon sat in his spot and stared at the TV without really seeing it. His mind was numb. Penny, his beloved Queen P, was leaving not just her job, but his life. He couldn't even say goodbye. Not after the way he had treated her when he discovered who she really was. Bernadette's tapes had opened his eyes to things he hadn't known or realized. He had known Penny was wary of relationships. He had known she was skittish about emotions. Of course she would keep secrets.

After all, he had not told her about his past. The bullying, the teasing, the people who called him crazy. He needed to talk to her, to try and make amends for the way he reacted. He wasn't good at apologizing. He wasn't good at expressing emotions at all. So, the question was, what should he do now?

"Aren't you going to work?" Leonard asked from the kitchen.

Sheldon looked over, surprised he hadn't heard Leonard enter the room. "No," he said after a moment. "I will be taking a personal day. I have some urgent matters to attend to."

Leonard shrugged and grabbed his jacket and messenger bag. "Fine. I'll be late getting home. I have a date," he said smugly.

Sheldon nodded, uninterested in Leonard's plans. "Have a good day."

Leonard left and Sheldon stood up. He needed to do some research. Hopefully he could find a blog or chat room that would offer advice on his situation.

Penny took a deep breath and smoothed her shirt before lifting a hand and knocking softly on Sheldon's door. She heard footsteps and took another steadying breath as the door opened. She smiled at Sheldon hesitantly when he came into view. "Hey."

Sheldon's eyes widened as he stared at her. "P-Penny. Hello."

"Can we talk?" she asked softly. "I... I know you're mad at me, and I don't really have any excuse for what I did, but I don't want things to end like this."

He stepped back quickly. "Please come in."

Penny eased past him into the apartment. "Thanks," she said. "I won't stay long, I promise. I went by Cal-Tech, but they said you took the day off. Is everything okay?"

He nodded and motioned her to the couch. "Yes. I was just... I had things to do that I couldn't take care of from my office." He blushed lightly. "I am glad to see you."

She sat down and angled herself to face him. "Sheldon, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. See, not many people know I'm Queen P. I swear I would have told you. Eventually, I mean. It's just that..."

"Bernadette explained it to me," he interrupted. "I understand."

Penny bit her bottom lip and clenched her hands. "Sheldon, I need to tell you some things, but it's not easy for me. I'm not used to sharing things about my life. Bernadette's been my only real friend for a very long time."

"You don't have to explain," he said quickly.

Penny smiled sadly and shook her head. "Yes, I do. I need to, because I want you to know why. I need you to know why." She took a second to collect herself. "Kurt wasn't always cruel. At first he was sweet and gentle. Later on, he got... mean. Not often. It was a slow build up. By the time he got really abusive, I'd been with him for almost three years. B helped me get away from him.

It was rough. I'd never really been on my own before. I moved out of my parent's home into Kurt's. The first year after I left Kurt, I was scared every night. Scared he's find me. Scared I'd fail. I only started to get my life together about a year ago. Then I met you."

Sheldon started to speak but Penny held up a hand quickly. "Please. If I don't say it all now, I might never. You scare me, Sheldon. Not because I think you would ever abuse me, but because you could hurt me so much more than Kurt ever did. I care about you, Sheldon. A lot. And that's a risk for me. You could break my heart," she whispered.

Sheldon's heart thudded in his chest. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? "Penny, are you saying you like me?"

She nodded and blushed. "Sheldon, you're a wonderful guy, and I think that if I'm not very careful, I could fall for you. Hard."

"You don't want to, though," he said weakly. Was he going to be the one to end up with the broken heart?

"I can't," she corrected. "Not right now. I'm making some big changes, Sheldon. I'm going to go back to school. I have to concentrate on that. I want to get my degree, and I can't afford to let anything distract me from that."

Sheldon shook his head. "Penny, I would never try to interfere with your education." He stood quickly and paced a few feet. He drew on all the courage he possessed and faced Penny. "I love you," he said softly. "I would never do anything to hurt or hinder you."

Penny stood and walked over to him, her eyes filling with tears. "Sheldon, I have absolutely nothing to offer anyone right now. I need to get my life in order."

He stared down at her hopelessly. "I don't want to lose you," he admitted.

Penny slid her arms around him hesitantly. Sheldon quickly pulled her into a tight hug. She rested her cheek against his chest. "I don't want to lose you, either," she whispered.

22 Months Later

She could see Sheldon sitting beside Bernadette in the audience. She sent him a wink as she accepted the diploma the Dean held out. The last couple of years hadn't been all smooth sailing. They had fought and made up, and laughed and argued. They had grown closer with each passing day. Sheldon hated her living on campus, so when he had received tenure last year, he bought a house and insisted she move in.

His mother had been alarmed by that, and took quite a bit of convincing to prove to her they weren't 'living in sin'. In fact, they had maintained a strictly platonic friendship for the last two years. She knew Sheldon loved her, and in all honesty, she loved him, too. But she held firm to her plans. No romantic entanglements until she held her degree in her hand.

Tonight they would have their very first real date. He was taking her to dinner and then to see a play. Tomorrow she had an appointment with James at the radio station to talk about coming back to work. James had already told her she had the job. They just had to figure out where to put her. B was already looking forward to being a team again.

She had a wide open future in front of her, a good friend by her side, and best of all, a man she loved and trusted. It hadn't been an easy road, but they had made it.