They go shopping together and Penny can't believe her eyes when Sheldon walks out in the black suit. He is surprisingly handsome underneath all those dumb t-shirts of his. For a brief moment, she is attracted to her boyfriend's best friend. She wonders where he's been the past couple of years, and that's when she realizes-he's been there the whole time. When Leonard was busy drooling all over himself when she first moved in and he came to introduce himself, Sheldon was there with his whiteboards, showing her the beautiful genius guy routine. He's been here... the whole time. Her heart beats rapidly and she gets cold chill bumps. But just as quickly as it began, it's over. They leave the store. They leave the moment behind.

Sheldon watches Penny on the stage. He's never seen her act before. She is... remarkable. Where has this talent been all these years? Why does she waste so much time talking about shoes and Kardashians and Kardashian shoes when she has all this ability to transform into someone else so fluidly and easily? During the play, he feels something that's been hidden inside him for many years. He thinks it's love. Like... romantic love. He wants to meet Penny behind the theater and kiss her. That feeling is completely foreign to him-he's a scientist, he's logical, he doesn't let emotions get in the way of reality. And then the play ends, and Penny is Penny again. She's one of his best friends that he can talk about anything with, not someone he imagines is the key to his future. Really, it's easier that way... right?

There are so many moments between them just like this. They fall in and out of love with each other repeatedly, and it fades just as soon as it begins. It's Disneyland, it's Soft Kitty, it's Vapo Rub when he's sick, it's a hug in the middle of a party, it's kicking a bully in the nuts. It's sneaking a peak and seeing a tattoo she's tried to hide. It's Penny Blossoms and love tests and constant back and forth bickering. It's all there in their subconscious, just waiting to be released and realized. Somewhere in the universe, or maybe a different universe, they are together. Not only are they together, but they're happy. Not with the wrong people. Not living in a crappy apartment in Pasadena. Not barely getting by in jobs that no longer satisfy them. They are living their best lives.

However, in this universe, things are the same as always. Their lives go on, they mostly consider themselves happy, but nothing ever changes.

Until it does.

Ten years after Sheldon and Amy's wedding

It's late. The sky is dark; there was an amazing, colorful sunset a few hours before-Penny watched it while sitting on her porch, drinking a beer and watching the orange, red, and purple hues fade into the distance. Now, after cooking herself dinner and binge-watching a trashy reality show, she's reading a script her agent sent her. The movie is hideous and she's going to say no. Thankfully, she has the option of doing that these days. It wasn't so long ago that she had to take anything she could get.

Penny takes another gulp of beer and closes her eyes for a second. Tomorrow she has the day off, so she's planning a glorious morning of sleeping in and then taking herself out to breakfast-or lunch, depending on when she wakes up. Since her divorce, Penny gets to do whatever the hell she wants, whenever she wants to do it, and she can't say this doesn't please her immensely. Leonard was such a drag; she loved the guy but how were they supposed to sustain a relationship where nothing ever happened? He never wanted to go anywhere or do anything, especially in the last couple of years. Their marriage ultimately ended when, after they tried over and over again to get pregnant, Penny finally decided that she didn't want kids anymore. Having a baby would just be a band-aid for their relationship, and that wasn't enough for her. Leonard disagreed. They fought about it for a while. There was one big fight, the fight to end all fights, and then it was blessedly over. Penny was-is-free.

Penny happily quit her pharmaceutical job and moved to Los Angeles a few years ago. Time was running out to make it as an actress, so Penny knew it was now or never. Luck was on her side and she got the first gig she auditioned for, a very bad nighttime soap opera that at least paid the bills. After that, she took whatever she could get until the movie that changed her life-Shutter Speed. It was a huge surprise hit at the box office. Penny is now a household name, she's single, she's childless, and she couldn't be happier.

There is one thing missing, though.

Penny opens her eyes, gets up from her desk and throws the script in the trash. She takes her beer and her phone outside to the porch again. Her house in Los Angeles isn't the biggest by any stretch-she's not that big a star yet-but it suits her just fine. The hills and valleys and sunrises and sunsets give her a different kind of peace than she's known before. So satisfying.

For so many years, she'd been afraid of leaving Leonard and being on her own. Why? It's not so scary. Sometimes she thinks she could be single forever if it meant everything was always this peaceful.

As she listens to the sounds of the neighborhood-dogs barking, rock music coming from a neighbor's house (the fact that she could live next to Steven Tyler—in one of his many pads, that is-was definitely a selling point when the realtor was showing her houses), cars driving up and down the hills—she glances at her phone and knows just who she wants to talk to. Feeling warm from the second (or is it third?) bottle of beer, she does it.

Hey moon pie. Can't sleep. Thinkin about you. Do you miss me? It's slightly more flirtatious than she intended, but he'd get it. He always gets her.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzes. She looks at the text. Don't call me Moonpie. As usual, can't sleep either. I suppose I do sometimes experience moments where I ponder your existence. What are you doing currently?

Penny smiles. nothing now, was reading a terible script. where are u?

Less than a minute later... I'm at home in Malibu. I'm writing a novel about time travel and the usage of physics. It's quite captivating.

im sure it is sweetie, can't wait to read it. want to meet somewhere?

This time, several minutes pass before she gets a response.

I suppose I can take a break. Where would you like to meet?

Penny's heart flutters as she texts back the location of an all-night coffee shop located between the two of them. This is finally going to be the night they meet up, after texting back and forth for what seems like years. She hasn't seen Sheldon since the divorce. Sometimes, every now and then, her heart will literally physically ache when she realizes how long it's been since she's hung out with Sheldon. It mystifies her—of course they used to be great friends, but Penny never thought she'd miss him so damn much that it caused her an actual physical response.

Weird.

Obviously Penny knows that a coffee house isn't exactly the usual hangout for Sheldon, but he agrees to meet her there without even protesting. She gets in her car—a new BMW, which was extravagant of her but after having a shitty second-hand car for most of her life, she couldn't help herself—and winds through the empty hills in the darkness of night to the coffee shop.

Thankfully there aren't any cops on the road to see her going at top speed—Penny realizes she literally can't wait to see Sheldon. She finally gets to the coffee shop and waits in her car. Sheldon's Tesla isn't in the parking lot yet. Taking a sip of water, she tries to calm her heart down. None of these physical reactions make sense to her. Sheldon's always just been a friend. A good friend, but just a friend nonetheless.

So why does she feel like this? Like she's out of control and speeding to a future she's not even sure she wants? It may not make sense, but she's determined to figure it out.

Sheldon pulls up to the coffee shop and waits in his car for a moment. He doesn't know what Penny is driving these days; ever since she got rid of the car where the check engine light was always on, it seems like she's driving something new every time he sees her. Which is not often. The last time was on November 18th, 2025, approximately 2 and a half years ago-a few days after her divorce with Leonard was final. They've been texting, though. They text all the time. In fact, he's frequently checking his phone in the middle of the day to see if she has sent him some stupid picture or meme or random factoid. For someone who is so busy with work and hobbies, he sure does have a lot of time to talk with his old friend Penny.

It's almost 4 AM and he has classes to teach and books to write tomorrow, but it doesn't matter. Something has drawn him here-or someone. As he reaches the big 5-0 in his life, Sheldon has realized what's important to him. Truly important, and not some kind of fantasy about the way he envisioned his older years while growing up in small town Texas. It's taken a while to get here, but he made it. He knows what's important. And Penny, he has come to realize, is a huge part of that.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Sheldon closes his eyes for a moment to steady himself before he goes inside. Of course he doesn't want to go to a disgusting diner full of degenerate 4AM coffee drinkers-it goes against nearly everything he believes in-but he'll do it for Penny.

When he opens his eyes, there's a cute little face looking at him through his window. He would almost be startled if Penny (and her cute little face) wasn't such a welcome sight for his sore eyes, as they say.

Sheldon rolls down the window, and Penny leans in and kisses his cheek in greeting. "Hey stranger!"

"Hello, Penny. Would you mind terribly letting me exit my vehicle before you start kissing me?"

Penny laughs, and moves out of the way. When Sheldon has gotten out of the Tesla, she runs and fully embraces him. He enjoys it, and doesn't even pretend to not enjoy it-he even hugs
her back.

"Fancy car," Penny says as they walk into the coffee shop. "Are you finally comfortable with driving now?"

"For the most part," Sheldon replies. "At least it's not a completely overwhelming experience anymore."

"Well, I wouldn't mind driving so much if I had a Tesla, either."

"Your BMW is quite aesthetically pleasing as well," Sheldon says.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? I love it so much," Penny says.

They both order coffee, since it's already almost morning anyway. Sheldon hasn't done an all-nighter since he was up for the Nobel, and now that he's won it, there doesn't seem to be any
sense in staying up late as much.

The two of them regard each other as they sit down and sip their coffee. Penny looks happy, Sheldon notes. A few years ago, that wasn't the case. Before the divorce, Penny was absolutely miserable whenever he'd see her. Afterwards, Sheldon spent equal time with the two of them, getting both sides of the story, trying to be there for both of them but finding himself leaning towards Penny's side more than Leonard's. He's glad Penny is at peace now; she deserves it.

"So, tell me about what's going on. Is the divorce final yet?"

Sheldon nods. "As of last month."

Penny reaches her hand out and Sheldon realizes he's expected to give her a high-five, so he does the same, although it's a silly and unnecessary transfer of germs.

"Rock on," Penny says. "I mean, I know it's not a good thing, but now we're both in the divorce club."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Sheldon says. He's not as enthusiastic as Penny is about this whole ordeal. It's still too fresh and painful.

"I haven't talked to Amy in so long," Penny said, shaking her head a little. "We had such a huge fight when you told me she was having an affair. I couldn't believe it! I'm so sorry, honey. It must have been hard."

It was indeed hard, and Sheldon is still somewhat troubled by the whole thing. He thought they were reasonably happy. Amy inquired about having kids a year or two into the marriage, and Sheldon was on board with it-was even excited about the prospect-but she still kept taking her birth control pills. Even as their intimate moments became more and more frequent (at least once a month at one point), Amy stopped expressing interest in having a child. And just slightly before their nine year anniversary, Sheldon found out from a series of texts that she'd been having an affair with her lab partner for almost the entire time they'd been married. What's strange is that although Sheldon was heartbroken, he was almost relieved, too. Amy was never the right woman for him-his mother told him that from the beginning. Yes, they were a good match academics-wise, but there was never any passion there. Sheldon was starting to think that maybe passion was what he'd been missing from his life. Maybe. How would he even know? He's pretty sure he's never truly experienced what "passion" is supposed to entail.

Sheldon watches Penny as she considers the menu. Although her features show some signs of aging, she has gotten more attractive with age, Sheldon thinks. Her lips are fuller-perhaps benefiting from a few discreet plastic surgeries, he thinks-her eyes are darker, her face is a little rounder, as is her body. Although Sheldon has always considered Penny to be traditionally good looking, he now understands the attraction that all his friends had for Penny when they all first met her. It's unusual; Sheldon hardly ever notices these things. But he is noticing Penny tonight. It's slightly unsettling, but... it's intriguing, too.

Penny orders a cappuccino and Sheldon opts for a bottle of water. If he orders coffee at this point in the day, he will be up for another 24 hours. Getting older is a bitch.

"It's not easy," Sheldon agrees. "I am going through a surprising period of mourning."

"Of course you are, sweetie. It's going to suck for a long time."

"It didn't seem to 'suck' for you. From what I've seen, you appeared to be happy from the moment you signed the papers." Sheldon doesn't mean to sound so bitter, but sometimes it just seeps in there anyway. He spent nearly 20 years with Amy only to have his faith in her and their relationship crushed like a bug on a windshield.

Penny looks a little shocked to hear him say this, and he wonders if perhaps he took it a bit too far.

"Is that what it looked like from your perspective? Oh, honey, no. I was devastated for a long time. Yes, I'm happy now, and at the time I was relieved that it was over, but we were together a long time and I was somehow convinced Leonard was my soul mate. Can you believe that? We got together because we lived across the hall from each other. I wasn't even attracted to him or wanted to be with him for the longest time. Sometimes when I'm really mad about it, I feel like somehow he tricked me into falling in love with him. Like the whole thing was a sham. Do you ever think that?"

Sheldon nods. "Yes. All the time." He thinks about how he resisted Amy and her mission to make him into a real boyfriend over the years, and wonders why he gave into her charms. Yes, of course he loved her, but what was the point? If he and Amy and Leonard and Penny all ended up with the same fate, what was even the point?

"Right? Sometimes I feel like he took the best years of my life. I've had some therapy since then, though, and I know that's not true. The best years are still ahead of me, first of all. And we did have a lot of good times. Probably more good times than bad." Penny shrugs. Sheldon knows she's still hurting, no matter what she says.

"But anyway. How's he been?"

"About the same as you," Sheldon replies. "He speaks as though he is over you and the marriage, but I know he misses you."

Penny looks as though this answer satisfies her. She doesn't ask anything else about Leonard. Instead, they talk about the last movie she was in and how well it did, and they discuss his Nobel Prize that he received for his work on metal-insulator transitions. They talked about Bernadette and Howard and their kids-Penny baby-sat for them a few months ago and she still can't believe how mature Hattie is getting now that she's nearly a teenager. Raj and his new wife moved back to India a year ago and now she's pregnant, which of course Raj is over the moon about.

They talk about everything, but eventually they get back to Leonard and Amy. It's inevitable, Sheldon supposes; their divorces are still fresh on their minds and it's nice to have someone who understands.

"I have a confession to make," Penny says after her second cappuccino. "I Facebook stalked him last week. I saw that he has a new girlfriend. She's... a lot younger. And looks a little like me."

Sheldon nods. "I have met her. Leonard had a small dinner party a month ago. Her name is Felicia and she couldn't be more of an obnoxious woman."

Penny is delighted by this news. "Really? Tell me about her."

"Well, I didn't spend much time talking to her, as you can imagine. But from the conversation I did pick up, she has never heard of a VCR and she thinks Mr. Rogers is a diet drink."

"Gross. But predictable. Is she cute?"

"She's conventionally attractive, I suppose, but not in a very interesting way. I personally wouldn't give her a second glance if I were passing her by on the street."

"Well, that's true of most women, isn't it? You'll only turn around if it's Stan Lee or Leonard Nimoy."

"One of them has a restraining order for me and the other is no longer living, so I would definitely turn around for either one. But yes, in theory you are correct. Although I'd probably turn around for you."

Neither of them know what to do with this comment. Sheldon is shocked that he said it. Penny is stunned that the words came out of his mouth. But it's true. Maybe back in the days when she was still new to the group and Sheldon was still more interested in playing Halo marathons than spending time with a female, he didn't notice her outright beauty. But he's paying attention now, and even if he wanted to stop, he doesn't know how. It's kind of a problem.

Or maybe it isn't.

"That's sweet, Sheldon. Thank you. I would do the same for you, by the way. You are looking quite dashing lately."

Sheldon thanks her and he knows he's blushing, which is just embarrassing for someone as old as he is. He supposes his looks are maturing along with him-his hair is getting slightly gray, he's gained a bit of weight to his skinny frame, and he left the superhero t-shirts behind a while ago. Since he's been teaching more often, he upgraded to a more stylish wardrobe-with Penny's expert guidance, of course. Every year she takes him shopping and he mostly agrees with her choices, although she does let him have two vetoes.

The two of them regard each other. Someone needs to say something soon, probably.

"Hey, I have the best idea," Penny says, grinning, and Sheldon knows she's about to get him in trouble.

"Amy and Leonard live close together, right?"

"Yes, they do, in fact..."

"Let's go egg their cars before the sun comes up," Penny says, looking more mischievous than he's ever seen her.

"Come on, Penny, that's preposterous," Sheldon replies, pretending to be shocked that she's suggesting such a ridiculous thing.

"Is it? It's not. Come on, let's go to the grocery store, we only have like an hour and a half!"

"Aren't you tired? Don't you just want to go to bed?"

Penny laughs and says, "No! I just had two cups of coffee, sweetie! I will probably never sleep again."

Penny grabs her purse and Sheldon's hand in one swift move and he has no choice but to get up and follow her. They get in her car and drive to the nearest 7-11, where they buy two cartons of eggs-one for each house. Penny giggles and Sheldon follows her like a puppy to her car. This is all very immature and he certainly has better things to do, like sleep, for one thing, but Penny has a long history of convincing Sheldon to do things he wouldn't consider otherwise.

"Do you know where Amy lives?" Penny asks Sheldon. He nods and gives her directions to Amy's new townhouse, which is about 10 minutes from the 7-11. Penny continues to giggle as they drive, and Sheldon can't help but be amused by how ridiculous she is.

They find Amy's house and Sheldon points out Amy's sensible Volkswagen Jetta in the driveway.

"Come on, Sheldon. You have to help! It'll be fun, you'll see!" Penny somehow convinces him to get out of the car, and he watches as she throws the first egg. It makes a satisfying sound as it hits the car, but Sheldon's still not sure this is a good idea. It might hurt the paint on the car and as much as he cares-

"Just one, Shelly. I know you'll like it," Penny says in a voice that piques Sheldon's interests somehow, even if she is using his hated nickname. He wants to impress her; he wants to make her happy. So although it goes against everything in his nature, Sheldon throws an egg at Amy's car. Penny laughs and claps, as though this is the greatest thing she's ever experienced. So he throws another, and another, and it feels good, and now it's getting serious because he's mad. He's so mad. Amy cheated on him and left him no option but to ask for a divorce, and he's angry about that. With every egg he throws, he feels a little tiny bit better about the situation.

When he runs out of eggs, he reaches for the other carton, but Penny puts her hand on his shoulder.

"I know that felt good, but I think that's enough for now, don't you?" She whispers. Sheldon takes a deep breath and releases it-something his therapist taught him to do in stressful situations.

"Yes, I agree," he says. "Let's go to Leonard's now. I'll show you the way."

Penny scoffs. "Like I haven't already stalked his house? Please." They both get back in the car and Penny drives to Leonard's house. When a police car passes them, she parks in an alley for a few minutes just to be safe. Sheldon's heart is still pounding from the exhilaration of throwing eggs at Amy's vehicle.

They pull up to Leonard's house, and Penny gets out to throw the eggs at Leonard's Audi. She throws one, then two, then three, but while watching from the car, Sheldon can see her heart's not really in it. In fact, when he gets out to check on her, he sees that she's crying. The sun is starting to come up over the mountains, and in the haze of the light seeping into the darkness, Penny is so beautiful that it takes Sheldon's breath away.

She continues to throw the eggs at the car, but Sheldon knows exactly how she feels. He walks slowly over to her and puts his arms around her shoulders. Penny slowly lets the rest of the carton of eggs fall on the street, while she falls into his arms. He takes her back to the car, and lets her cry while he holds her.

It's not unexpected when Penny wipes her tears away and looks at Sheldon unexpectedly. He knows what she wants. He knows, because he wants it too. So although they both have experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows within minutes of each other, they still know what they want.

Sheldon leans in and kisses Penny. Lightly at first, as though he's asking for permission. When she kisses him back, it feels like they've been missing out on something all along. The kissing continues, and it doesn't ever seem to stop. Her lips are so different from Amy's, and he is fascinated. It's so good. It's. So. Good.

When they finally stop kissing-which is not quickly, indeed-they pull away from each other. The sun is up now, and the light washes over the day. They know what's happening, and what they're going to do about it now. Everything has changed, and all at once.

"Are we doing this?" Penny says.

"It appears so," Sheldon replies.

"Then do you want to come to my house?"

"More than I want to go to the train store," Sheldon says, and Penny giggles. She grasps his hand for a moment, and he gratefully grasps it back.

If Penny had been in a hurry to the coffee shop earlier in the night, she now wishes her car had hyper-speed to get back to the house. This is new, this is different, but somehow it feels more right than anything has before. It's almost like Sheldon just showed her his whiteboards for the first time, and this time, she's going to make the right decision. Pick the right guy. Go with the beautiful mind genius guy.

They are both quiet on the drive to her house. She notices that he keeps looking at her like he can't believe she's there. Penny enjoys this feeling, and can't wait to experience this different side of Sheldon. She says a quick thank you in her mind to Amy for teaching him about intimacy so that it's not such a new concept to him. For what Penny has in mind for the two of them, he's going to be using that knowledge now.

After what seems like hours of driving, Penny finally pulls in to her driveway. She gets out and Sheldon follows her, and predictably she fumbles with the keys before she finally manages to open the door. They don't even bother to turn on any lights before falling on Penny's leather couch. So much kissing. Sheldon is so very good at this kissing stuff. Somehow he knows exactly what she likes, and it's a huge-turn on. Part of her doesn't want to ruin the surprise so soon; part of her wants to wait until they go on a date or two to take this all the way. But hell, they've been friends for more than 20 years, they know everything about each other, why the hell should they have to wait?

Penny knows why, and although she would rather move back to Nebraska than stop kissing Sheldon at this moment, she does indeed stop. Although there are no lights on, the morning sun is streaming through the windows, illuminating Sheldon and his handsome, sexy face. He clearly is disappointed that she stopped the kissing.

She knows Sheldon wants to ask why the kissing suddenly stopped but he's too polite to inquire.

"I just want to make it clear that if we continue doing... this, that it isn't some one night thing for me. I'm all in, sweetie. It's not a rebound or anything like that. I want you. And only you."

Penny knows she's putting it all out there, but Sheldon deserves to have all the facts. She's been falling in love with him in bits and pieces for many years, and now she wants it all. The highs and lows and everything in between.

"Penny. You know I don't do anything without considering it in every possible way first. I'm, as you say, 'all in', too. You are the most beautiful creature I have ever wanted to kiss in my lifetime. And, you know... more than kiss." Well, now he knows he's blushing.

Penny is grinning now. "Oh, yeah? Sounds like fun. I want to find out all about the 'more than kissing.' But for now... I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. The coffee must have worn off after all the egg throwing."

Sheldon nods. "Yes, although the kissing has reinvigorated me, I am quite tired as well."

Penny leans into him and their lips meet again. It's a soft kiss, one with more promise than Penny has known before. It's so good, and so sweet, and she feels like this is actually going to work. She may end up getting to spend he rest of her life with her best friend.

"I have an extra toothbrush and toothpaste, still unwrapped, in the guest bathroom. I'll be waiting for you in the bedroom," she tells Sheldon.

Sheldon looks touched that she thought of his need to brush his teeth before bed. They go their separate ways and just a few minutes later, Sheldon shows up in her bedroom, teeth brushed, pants off. She enjoys watching him take his shirt off, so she takes her shirt off too. She almost laughs when Sheldon can't take his eyes off of her.

"Come on. We'll have plenty of time for that later. Let's sleep now," Penny says. Sheldon nods, and gets into bed with her. And though she wants to save some for later, she guides Sheldon's
hands to her naked chest, and he gratefully touches her for what seems like forever, until they both fall asleep, happy, grateful, and excited for the future.

When they wake up, things will change. The light will be different. But their minds won't change, and their love won't fade-not this time. It is what will be.