His brow creases. "I think," he says slowly, "that I don't believe in a universe so limited it has only enough room for one view of the cosmos." Never, never will he stop surprising her. "Yeah?" "Yes," he says. "Is it trivia time, or may I resume the episode?"

"Did you just cross the line?" he asked. His voice sounded like it had gone up an octave. "How would I know? I can't exactly see the line." She inched a little bit more.

"Hello! According to social convention, if you do not provide us with candy, we will vandalize your home!"

Meemaw came through the front door Velociraptor-first. "Oh holy shit!" said Penny.

Holy fucking shit. Sheldon must be absolutely dying she thinks, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Leonard Nimoy is hugging Sheldon. He'll be insufferable for the rest of his life. And deservedly so.

She wishes she’d thought to turn and look at him, wishes she could’ve seen him in this moment, with his face so bright and his heart so close to the surface. She’s pretty sure he doesn’t look like that when he plays Chopin, and understands a little better why he walked away from the conservatories and the concert halls. She might’ve thought it weakness once, or a flaw of character, but she knows now that it was desire, and determination, and courage. Walking away from what had been handed to him, choosing to work at something instead. She’s never thought him brave before, but she’s learned better now.

People will probably say that a Nebraskan Admiralty should hang below Presidency of the Earth. People, as far as Penny is concerned, can suck it.

Sheldon takes the cowboy hat off and hands it to her. "So help me, Penny, if you show that picture to anyone, you're dead." She's already sent it to Leonard, Raj and Howard. Four bars of coverage, even out here in Bumfuck Egypt. Technology is beautiful.

It starts in Pasadena, after their flight from Kansas City and a layover from hell, when he backs her up against the wall at Stuart’s store before they’ve even finished unpacking all their gear, with all the guys oblivious just around the corner and Penny’s heart beating madly in her chest. Things go fairly quickly after that.

Spooning with Jeff Winger. It's not that she all of the sudden believes in God, it's just -- clearly someone is fucking with her.

"And that's obviously not it or I wouldn't have bruises all over my knees." | For some reason, that makes him flush an even deeper red.

That's it. That's the way out of this; he'll walk the worlds like a human does, a thin clear vessel with a narrow thread of heartbeat, one thought in front of another, one life in front of another, and then-

'it's cool. i put a flaw in our algorithm to trip him up. i give it ten secs before he figures it out & i have to screw it up more' he sent back to her.