This story was on the back burner for 2 months. I haven't done much writing lately, between working two jobs and raising two boys. But last night the muse hit me hard and I finished this one and added several chapters to another. So, here's a complete rewriting of TBBT history. I wanted to do something special for Jislaine as a thank you for this awesome piece of Shenny art she made for me, and this is what I came up with.

I don't own the Big Bang Theory. But that doesn't stop me from borrowing the characters for a little Arctic fun!

President Seibert looked over the paperwork before him once again. He sighed heavily. He had no interest in feeding the massive ego of his most intelligent but equally belligerent physicist. Unfortunately there wasn't much he could do about it. …..except go for a walk, maybe get some coffee. After all, no one said he had to speak to Cooper right this very minute.

Seibert is not a man given to impulse. He wouldn't be where he is today if he hadn't spent his life carefully planning every move he made. So why was he sitting here in a coffee shop staring at a pretty blonde girl as if she was the answer to everything? He narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Maybe because she was.

Penny looked up from wiping off a table to see a well dressed man standing beside her. He smiled and pulled out a chair, indicating he wanted her to sit. She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Sorry, bub. I'm working."

"Please, Miss….?" he looked at her expectantly. Penny just stared at him. He could expect all he wanted. Penny Queen was nobody's push over. The man sighed and sat down in the opposite chair. "Okay, straight to business. I watched you handle a total of 9 people in 15 minutes. 4 were hostile and demanding, 2 were hateful, 1 was pleasant and the last two were, to be frank, repulsive. You handled everyone calmly, reasonably, and with a strong, unbending will. I would like to offer you a job."

Penny studied the man sitting before her. He seemed sincere, but she had lived in California too long not to be aware of how easily everyone played a role here.

"Really? What kind of job?" she asked calmly.

"I am the president of Cal-Tech. I have an group of scientists going on a trip in 2 months to the Arctic. They will be there for 3 months. Now, normally, that wouldn't sound like such a huge endeavor. Until you take into account the scientists going." He sounded rueful.

Penny was beginning to feel a bit curious, despite her cynicism. "What's so special about the scientists?" she asked.

Seibert took a deep breath, hoping he read her right. "One is a germaphobe, annoyingly superior, condescending, and childish. Sheldon Cooper is also the most brilliant man I have ever met. He's socially naïve, and emotionally repressed. Leonard Hofstadter has no self esteem, but is nearly as intelligent as Cooper. Rajeesh Koothrappali is dependable, and easy going. He also cannot talk to women. At all. It's called selective mute-ism." Seibert crossed his fingers under the table. "Then there is Howard Wolowitz, the engineer. A small Jewish man who dresses like it's the 70's and hits on anything in a skirt."

Penny sat down in the chair he had pulled out earlier. "And what would be my role?"

Seibert smiled. "I need someone with common sense, and a calm, cool head to keep them in line. Those four are friends, and they tend to go overboard sometimes. Get caught up in their debates on who has the best cape, Superman or Batman, or contests such as the time they spent 4 days building a massive laser obstacle course in one of the labs and almost set the place on fire."

"You want a babysitter?" she asked with a smirk.

Seibert smiled. "Essentially, yes. And I'll pay you $2,500 a month for your time. Two months while you prepare, and three months for being there. "

Penny narrowed her eyes. It was good money, and she could use it, but there had to be a catch. "What do you mean prepare?"

Seibert shrugged. "You'll have to attend meetings, learn safety protocols, and how to handle some equipment, such as the snow mobiles, the satellite interface, that sort of thing." He leaned forward a bit. "Interested?"

"Why me?"

Seibert shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. I'm not a man who usually makes snap decisions. But there's something about the no-nonsense way you handle everyone, including me, that makes me think this would work."

Penny tapped a finger against the table thoughtfully. She hated her job, her apartment lease was almost up and her landlord wanted her out so he could let his girlfriend move in (without his wife knowing, of course) and dealing with four scientists would be much easier than dealing with the thousands of idiots she was around on a weekly basis.

Seibert may not normally be an impulsive person, but Penny occasionally was. "Sure, she said finally. "Let me just go quit my job."

And just like that, Sheldon's world spun out of his control.