Fic: The Ghost Girl Complex, Part 2
Title: The Ghost Girl Complex
Part 2
Author: she_burns1
Pairing: Sheldon/Penny, Leonard/Penny
Rating: R
Word Count: 3,392
Summary: Life didn't really get interesting for Penny until after she died.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot is all mine. No copyright infringement is intended.
Previous Parts: 1
"Please don't wear that to my funeral."
Sheldon looked down at his checkered-tweed suit, sincerely confused, "Why not?"
Penny rolled her eyes and walked towards his closet, peering through it, "Because it's an abomination."
"One could currently say that about you."
"Watch it." she warned.
Sheldon shrugged, indifferent, "Well, scientifically, it would appear you exist when you should not. I can see you, hear you...but I know for a fact you are dead, therefore-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up and put on that one," she pointed to a black suit in the far back of the closet.
"That's the same suit I wore to the Chancellor Awards banquet. I swore to never wear it again."
"Well, that's too bad. I'm in the casket, so I get to decide."
Sheldon gave her a withering look, "Humor as a defense mechanism?"
She smiled sweetly, "Bite me."
"I can't. You're incorporeal."
Penny frowned, "What?"
"Nevermind," he muttered as he charged over to the closet and practically ripped the suit out. He laid it out on the bed then turned to her, scowling, "I have to change. Could you-?"
Penny held up her hands and left the room. Sheldon practically slammed the door behind her. Great. Of all people who could see her, who could help her, why was it Sheldon? She entered the kitchen and saw Leonard making himself a cup of coffee.
Looking at him standing there, in a nice suit, shoulders hunched it began to sink in that much more.
She was dead.
The tiny flicker of happy normalcy she had felt earlier fled in the face of that knowledge.
As Leonard poured himself a hot cup some of it spilled and he cursed. He tossed the pot into the sink and, still cursing, he hastily grabbed a towel and started rubbing at himself, at the floor. His actions seemed almost harsh, punishing, and it was obvious he was angry.
He threw the towel away from him and sat on the floor, his back against one of the cabinets and he hit his head hard back on it , his eyes squeezed shut tightly as a sound terrifyingly close to a sob escaped him.
Penny chewed on her thumbnail as she watched him, her heart reaching out to him. If only she could talked to him, touch him, comfort him. But she could do nothing. Still...
She walked over to him, knelt beside him, her voice quiet and sincere, "Leonard?"
He finally did sob then, his hands tugging at his hair, tears escaping.
"Leonard...it's okay."
Leonard started crying in vehemence now, almost as if he had heard her, his hands rubbing at his face. Like any other person crying, he looked miserable and unattractive, but it broke her heart none the less. She had kissed this man, she had held him, she had slept with him, she had...
Had she ever truly loved him?
Looking at him now, she felt that she had. But maybe it hadn't been enough. And now it was too late to do anything about it anyway.
She reached out a hand, letting it float above his head.
It couldn't hurt to try...
Her hand passed right through him.
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she shook her head, her own eyes pricking with unshed tears and as she spoke, it was as if the words were coming from someone else, "It's okay, Leonard. I'm fine."
They both sat there, crying and not crying, and torn up and broken and then the sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard. Both Penny and Leonard looked up. Sheldon stood there, his voice quiet but firm, "Leonard. We should go."
Leonard wiped at his face but he nodded. He was thankful that Sheldon said nothing about his tears. Sheldon looked at Penny, then back at Leonard, his voice hushed, almost begging, "Leonard...you still don't...see her...do you?"
Leonard blinked and took of his glasses. He fumbled for a paper towel, which Sheldon handed him, and as he used it to clean the tears off his frames he sniffled loudly, "See who, Sheldon?"
Sheldon looked at Penny again, then, almost remorsefully answered, "No one. Let's get going."
***
Sheldon entered the apartment alone.
Penny looked up at him from where she sat on the couch, "Oh thank god, you're back! I'm so bored! I tried to turn on the TV or to grab a book or...well, to touch anything but no luck, so," she watched as he shut the door behind him and frowned, "Where's Leonard?"
"Staying at Howard or Raj's, I would imagine. Maybe even a nice hotel," Sheldon said dryly as he started to unknot his tie.
"Uh, why?"
"It might have something to do with the fact that he is furious with me."
"You? Why? What did you-?"
"He made me take a cab home," Sheldon grumbled, "Can you imagine?" he shuddered, "I feel like I need to clean myself with a powered pressure washer."
"Sheldon, any time you want to fill me in would be-"
He cut her off, his eyes narrowed, "It's your fault. Naturally. We were at the funeral and I was caught examining your corpse."
"Examining...my..." Penny found the words difficult to digest, finally, "You...what were you doing?"
"Nothing untoward," Sheldon stressed, "Though try telling that to your mother-"
"My Mom-"
"Your father took a swing at me. Thankfully I have razor sharp reflexes, earned from years of people attempting to strike me. I'm proud to say very few have connected, your father included."
Penny thought of her parents and felt her body grow heavy. She reassumed her seat on the couch, "What...did you find out?"
Sheldon walked to the kitchen. He put his tie to one side, then poured himself a drink. Penny waited, surprised at her patience, but then, her mind still rested on the thought of her parents at her funeral. Sheldon nearly downed an entire glass of Diet Coke before answering, "You are, one hundred percent, deceased."
Penny nodded. What else could she do?
He continued, "I checked your pulse, your pupils...that was all before I was...interrupted. After being separated from Leonard, I took it upon myself to have the cabbie, a rather charming fellow named 'Big' Don, drive me to the hospital where you were taken. A quick check into their computer system gave me all the necessary needed information in regards to your autopsy report-"
Penny's head reared back, "You...wh-?! You hacked into their computer system?!"
"Hack is a highly dirty word in some circles. I merely used an abandoned terminal. Honestly, I would think you more concerned with our hospital's shockingly low security. Regardless, it was easy enough to find a computer and root around for the information."
Penny sighed, her head falling back on the couch, eyes on the ceiling, "So, what did you discover?"
"You died due to a severe cervical fracture," he took another sip of his drink, "Or, in the common vencular, a broken neck."
Penny rubbed at her neck, mumbling, "Feels fine."
"Hmm, well, its not. It killed you."
"Yes. I know. Thank you, Captain Obvious."
Sheldon merely titled his head to one side before washing out his glass and putting it in the dishwater. Penny ran a hand through her hair, sighing, "So...no chance of getting back in my body then?"
"Not if you want to hold your head upright, no," he returned, "Besides, I imagine they have lowered that overly ornate coffin of yours into the ground by now."
Penny closed her eyes, voice a whisper, "Did you...the service..."
Sheldon did a surprisingly excellent job of interpreting her fragmented words, "The incident which resulted in my exile from your funeral proceedings did take place after the bulk of the service."
He sighed, eyes avoiding hers, "It was, like most funerals, a sober affair. The priest said a few words, your sister spoke, as did your mother. They played 'Piano Sonata Opus Twenty Six, Number Twelve' by Beethoven as well as some song I would not think appropriate - something about getting older and reflections in snow covered hills or some other country clap trap-"
"The Dixie Chicks," Penny said with a wistful smile, "It's called 'Landslide'. They played that the night of the prom when, I...I said," Penny let out a little watery laugh and shook her head, "Said it was one of the best nights of my life...my mother...I guess-guess she remembered."
"Hmm, yes, that would explain the sobbing," Sheldon retorted and Penny shot him a look that she hoped would spear him. No such luck, "Though that got much worse once the projector started. Pictures of you growing up, old home videos..."
"My family loves me," she said, her tone almost vicious, "It's only right for them to cry."
Sheldon looked genuinely taken aback, "I never said it wasn't."
Penny's anger cooled. Sheldon hadn't meant to be an asshat...he was just Sheldon. She looked at her hands, "So...what about you?"
"Me?"
"Did you cry?"
"Of course not," he answered as if this was a silly question, "I knew I would see you when I got home."
Penny clicked her tongue loudly, "Riiight. Okay, well then, how about the other guys? Howard and Raj? Leonard?"
Sheldon looked uncomfotable, "Penny...I'll admit my understanding of social interactions is something that some would consider less than to be desired, but I do seem to recall something along the lines of not confessing certain...emotional...reactions men have in troubling situations."
"Oh?"
Sheldon nodded, "My father once told me that the only approproate time for a man to cry is when his football team loses the Superbowl and even then, he is only permitted to shed one tear. Anything past that is the sign of pu-" Sheldon brought himself up short, then, clearing his throat, "I don't wish to repeat the word. My Mother once washed my mouth out with soap for saying it."
Penny blinked, "Really?"
Sheldon lifted one shoulder weakly, "I don't care for the taste of Dial."
Penny sat up, back straight, "So? What? I'm stuck like this?"
"No," Sheldon said firmly, then, less certainly, "We just...need to reassess the situation. I had hoped that you might not actually be dead. That maybe you had slipped into some sort of comatose state that allowed you to somehow project yourself to me, but...that doesn't seem to be the case. And as for reinhabiting your body, it is too damaged and too buried beneath the earth to contemplate. There are many things I am willing to do for science, Penny, but digging up your corpse is not one of them."
Penny moaned, "Than what are we going to do, Einstein?! What are our options?"
Sheldon became animated, as he always did, when he was full of ideas, "Well, I've given some thought to that - we could try having you inhabit another body-"
"Possession?"
"In the rudimentary sense, yes."
"But what about the other person?"
"Hmm?"
"Sheldon, I can't just, you know, walk into a living person. They'd have to go somewhere, right? Their mind, their soul, their...mojo..."
"We could try placing you in a less damaged dead body. Someone freshly dead."
"Pass."
"I could, perhaps, build a robot body that would-"
"Pass."
"With samples of your DNA I could make a clone of you, fast age it, and then-"
"Is that even within the realm of possibility?"
"No, not really, but then, I didn't think ghosts were a possibility-"
"No, I think that's going to be a pass, too," Penny said hopelessly, "Somehow, despite your brains, I don't see you mad sciencing up a clone body for me."
"It worked for Mister Sinster."
The look Penny gave him was priceless.
Unmoved, Sheldon continued, "In X-Men comics, when he created a clone of Jean Grey. Once she perished as Phoenix, her dying essense awoke Madelyne Pryor, who-"
"Please stop talking."
Sheldon narrowed his eyes, "You know, I don't have to help you. I have plenty of other things to occupy my very valuable time with."
"No, no, I-I know, I just," Penny sighed as she got to her feet, crossing her arms as she began pacing, "I just thought maybe there'd be a simple solution to this. A quick answer. I mean...I just - I just want things to be like they used to."
There was only a momentary silence before Sheldon offered quietly, "Well, there is one thing that might help. I have given considerable thought to your problems, which, grant you, are many, and I think one in particular is easily solvable."
"Okay, good, which one." Penny asked with some desperation.
Sheldon turned and reached into a cabinet, drawing out another glass. He placed it on the kitchen island between them and pointed at it, "Pick that up."
"Sheldon, you know I can't-"
"Pick it up." He ordered.
Groaning, Penny walked over. The glass stood on the island in front of her - almost proud and tall - mocking her. She reached out, intent on grabbing it. Her fingers slipped right through it as if it was not there at all. She let out an aggravated huff, "See, I told you I can't-"
"Penny," he interrupted smoothly, "You told me after the accident you came home and, in that time frame, before discovering of your own demise, you were able to touch and interact with solid objects."
"Yeah, it seemed so. I mean, I thought-"
"My theory is a simple one, albeit simple enough even your mind can comprehend it. I theorize that when you thought you were alive, it made interaction with the physical world simple, or, what one could conceive as 'normal', but, once you were enlighted to the events of your life or lack thereof, you fell into what could be perceived as 'normal' ghost behavior. You understand?"
Penny blinked, "When I didn't think I was a ghost I could touch things and now that I do think of myself as one I can't?"
"Precisely."
Penny took in a deep breath and shook her limbs out, rolling her head about her shoulders, "Okay, then...all right. I got this. I got it."
She started chanting inside her mind, started trying to convince herself that she was real, that she could pick up this glass, that she could-
Her fingers slipped thorught it once more.
She let out a roar of frustration but Sheldon merely shook his head calmly, "You just need to keep practicing. You'll get it."
"Oh, will I?" Penny asked sardonically, but she found herself still with the will to try again. She reached out a second time, a third, and while there was still no luck with either try she found herself not wanting to give up, not wanting to give in.
In fact, she was so absorbed in her task that she didn't even see Sheldon leave, didn't even recognize that he had clicked off all the lights and turned in for the night. She kept trying and trying, determined.
At varying points she thought she was closer, thought she could almost feel the glass, but she never could quite get a grip on it.
Just as she was about to give up simply due to the need for rest, she saw the glass actually wiggle. She clapped her hands together, exhausted, but delighted. Closer. She was that much closer.
She went back to the couch, her eyelids unbearably heavy and she felt herself smile at her smallest of achievements, the sight of the glass wobbling. But then her thoughts drifted to home videos and prom songs and her mother crying.
She closed her eyes.
Part 2
Author: she_burns1
Pairing: Sheldon/Penny, Leonard/Penny
Rating: R
Word Count: 3,392
Summary: Life didn't really get interesting for Penny until after she died.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot is all mine. No copyright infringement is intended.
Previous Parts: 1
"Please don't wear that to my funeral."
Sheldon looked down at his checkered-tweed suit, sincerely confused, "Why not?"
Penny rolled her eyes and walked towards his closet, peering through it, "Because it's an abomination."
"One could currently say that about you."
"Watch it." she warned.
Sheldon shrugged, indifferent, "Well, scientifically, it would appear you exist when you should not. I can see you, hear you...but I know for a fact you are dead, therefore-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up and put on that one," she pointed to a black suit in the far back of the closet.
"That's the same suit I wore to the Chancellor Awards banquet. I swore to never wear it again."
"Well, that's too bad. I'm in the casket, so I get to decide."
Sheldon gave her a withering look, "Humor as a defense mechanism?"
She smiled sweetly, "Bite me."
"I can't. You're incorporeal."
Penny frowned, "What?"
"Nevermind," he muttered as he charged over to the closet and practically ripped the suit out. He laid it out on the bed then turned to her, scowling, "I have to change. Could you-?"
Penny held up her hands and left the room. Sheldon practically slammed the door behind her. Great. Of all people who could see her, who could help her, why was it Sheldon? She entered the kitchen and saw Leonard making himself a cup of coffee.
Looking at him standing there, in a nice suit, shoulders hunched it began to sink in that much more.
She was dead.
The tiny flicker of happy normalcy she had felt earlier fled in the face of that knowledge.
As Leonard poured himself a hot cup some of it spilled and he cursed. He tossed the pot into the sink and, still cursing, he hastily grabbed a towel and started rubbing at himself, at the floor. His actions seemed almost harsh, punishing, and it was obvious he was angry.
He threw the towel away from him and sat on the floor, his back against one of the cabinets and he hit his head hard back on it , his eyes squeezed shut tightly as a sound terrifyingly close to a sob escaped him.
Penny chewed on her thumbnail as she watched him, her heart reaching out to him. If only she could talked to him, touch him, comfort him. But she could do nothing. Still...
She walked over to him, knelt beside him, her voice quiet and sincere, "Leonard?"
He finally did sob then, his hands tugging at his hair, tears escaping.
"Leonard...it's okay."
Leonard started crying in vehemence now, almost as if he had heard her, his hands rubbing at his face. Like any other person crying, he looked miserable and unattractive, but it broke her heart none the less. She had kissed this man, she had held him, she had slept with him, she had...
Had she ever truly loved him?
Looking at him now, she felt that she had. But maybe it hadn't been enough. And now it was too late to do anything about it anyway.
She reached out a hand, letting it float above his head.
It couldn't hurt to try...
Her hand passed right through him.
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she shook her head, her own eyes pricking with unshed tears and as she spoke, it was as if the words were coming from someone else, "It's okay, Leonard. I'm fine."
They both sat there, crying and not crying, and torn up and broken and then the sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard. Both Penny and Leonard looked up. Sheldon stood there, his voice quiet but firm, "Leonard. We should go."
Leonard wiped at his face but he nodded. He was thankful that Sheldon said nothing about his tears. Sheldon looked at Penny, then back at Leonard, his voice hushed, almost begging, "Leonard...you still don't...see her...do you?"
Leonard blinked and took of his glasses. He fumbled for a paper towel, which Sheldon handed him, and as he used it to clean the tears off his frames he sniffled loudly, "See who, Sheldon?"
Sheldon looked at Penny again, then, almost remorsefully answered, "No one. Let's get going."
***
Sheldon entered the apartment alone.
Penny looked up at him from where she sat on the couch, "Oh thank god, you're back! I'm so bored! I tried to turn on the TV or to grab a book or...well, to touch anything but no luck, so," she watched as he shut the door behind him and frowned, "Where's Leonard?"
"Staying at Howard or Raj's, I would imagine. Maybe even a nice hotel," Sheldon said dryly as he started to unknot his tie.
"Uh, why?"
"It might have something to do with the fact that he is furious with me."
"You? Why? What did you-?"
"He made me take a cab home," Sheldon grumbled, "Can you imagine?" he shuddered, "I feel like I need to clean myself with a powered pressure washer."
"Sheldon, any time you want to fill me in would be-"
He cut her off, his eyes narrowed, "It's your fault. Naturally. We were at the funeral and I was caught examining your corpse."
"Examining...my..." Penny found the words difficult to digest, finally, "You...what were you doing?"
"Nothing untoward," Sheldon stressed, "Though try telling that to your mother-"
"My Mom-"
"Your father took a swing at me. Thankfully I have razor sharp reflexes, earned from years of people attempting to strike me. I'm proud to say very few have connected, your father included."
Penny thought of her parents and felt her body grow heavy. She reassumed her seat on the couch, "What...did you find out?"
Sheldon walked to the kitchen. He put his tie to one side, then poured himself a drink. Penny waited, surprised at her patience, but then, her mind still rested on the thought of her parents at her funeral. Sheldon nearly downed an entire glass of Diet Coke before answering, "You are, one hundred percent, deceased."
Penny nodded. What else could she do?
He continued, "I checked your pulse, your pupils...that was all before I was...interrupted. After being separated from Leonard, I took it upon myself to have the cabbie, a rather charming fellow named 'Big' Don, drive me to the hospital where you were taken. A quick check into their computer system gave me all the necessary needed information in regards to your autopsy report-"
Penny's head reared back, "You...wh-?! You hacked into their computer system?!"
"Hack is a highly dirty word in some circles. I merely used an abandoned terminal. Honestly, I would think you more concerned with our hospital's shockingly low security. Regardless, it was easy enough to find a computer and root around for the information."
Penny sighed, her head falling back on the couch, eyes on the ceiling, "So, what did you discover?"
"You died due to a severe cervical fracture," he took another sip of his drink, "Or, in the common vencular, a broken neck."
Penny rubbed at her neck, mumbling, "Feels fine."
"Hmm, well, its not. It killed you."
"Yes. I know. Thank you, Captain Obvious."
Sheldon merely titled his head to one side before washing out his glass and putting it in the dishwater. Penny ran a hand through her hair, sighing, "So...no chance of getting back in my body then?"
"Not if you want to hold your head upright, no," he returned, "Besides, I imagine they have lowered that overly ornate coffin of yours into the ground by now."
Penny closed her eyes, voice a whisper, "Did you...the service..."
Sheldon did a surprisingly excellent job of interpreting her fragmented words, "The incident which resulted in my exile from your funeral proceedings did take place after the bulk of the service."
He sighed, eyes avoiding hers, "It was, like most funerals, a sober affair. The priest said a few words, your sister spoke, as did your mother. They played 'Piano Sonata Opus Twenty Six, Number Twelve' by Beethoven as well as some song I would not think appropriate - something about getting older and reflections in snow covered hills or some other country clap trap-"
"The Dixie Chicks," Penny said with a wistful smile, "It's called 'Landslide'. They played that the night of the prom when, I...I said," Penny let out a little watery laugh and shook her head, "Said it was one of the best nights of my life...my mother...I guess-guess she remembered."
"Hmm, yes, that would explain the sobbing," Sheldon retorted and Penny shot him a look that she hoped would spear him. No such luck, "Though that got much worse once the projector started. Pictures of you growing up, old home videos..."
"My family loves me," she said, her tone almost vicious, "It's only right for them to cry."
Sheldon looked genuinely taken aback, "I never said it wasn't."
Penny's anger cooled. Sheldon hadn't meant to be an asshat...he was just Sheldon. She looked at her hands, "So...what about you?"
"Me?"
"Did you cry?"
"Of course not," he answered as if this was a silly question, "I knew I would see you when I got home."
Penny clicked her tongue loudly, "Riiight. Okay, well then, how about the other guys? Howard and Raj? Leonard?"
Sheldon looked uncomfotable, "Penny...I'll admit my understanding of social interactions is something that some would consider less than to be desired, but I do seem to recall something along the lines of not confessing certain...emotional...reactions men have in troubling situations."
"Oh?"
Sheldon nodded, "My father once told me that the only approproate time for a man to cry is when his football team loses the Superbowl and even then, he is only permitted to shed one tear. Anything past that is the sign of pu-" Sheldon brought himself up short, then, clearing his throat, "I don't wish to repeat the word. My Mother once washed my mouth out with soap for saying it."
Penny blinked, "Really?"
Sheldon lifted one shoulder weakly, "I don't care for the taste of Dial."
Penny sat up, back straight, "So? What? I'm stuck like this?"
"No," Sheldon said firmly, then, less certainly, "We just...need to reassess the situation. I had hoped that you might not actually be dead. That maybe you had slipped into some sort of comatose state that allowed you to somehow project yourself to me, but...that doesn't seem to be the case. And as for reinhabiting your body, it is too damaged and too buried beneath the earth to contemplate. There are many things I am willing to do for science, Penny, but digging up your corpse is not one of them."
Penny moaned, "Than what are we going to do, Einstein?! What are our options?"
Sheldon became animated, as he always did, when he was full of ideas, "Well, I've given some thought to that - we could try having you inhabit another body-"
"Possession?"
"In the rudimentary sense, yes."
"But what about the other person?"
"Hmm?"
"Sheldon, I can't just, you know, walk into a living person. They'd have to go somewhere, right? Their mind, their soul, their...mojo..."
"We could try placing you in a less damaged dead body. Someone freshly dead."
"Pass."
"I could, perhaps, build a robot body that would-"
"Pass."
"With samples of your DNA I could make a clone of you, fast age it, and then-"
"Is that even within the realm of possibility?"
"No, not really, but then, I didn't think ghosts were a possibility-"
"No, I think that's going to be a pass, too," Penny said hopelessly, "Somehow, despite your brains, I don't see you mad sciencing up a clone body for me."
"It worked for Mister Sinster."
The look Penny gave him was priceless.
Unmoved, Sheldon continued, "In X-Men comics, when he created a clone of Jean Grey. Once she perished as Phoenix, her dying essense awoke Madelyne Pryor, who-"
"Please stop talking."
Sheldon narrowed his eyes, "You know, I don't have to help you. I have plenty of other things to occupy my very valuable time with."
"No, no, I-I know, I just," Penny sighed as she got to her feet, crossing her arms as she began pacing, "I just thought maybe there'd be a simple solution to this. A quick answer. I mean...I just - I just want things to be like they used to."
There was only a momentary silence before Sheldon offered quietly, "Well, there is one thing that might help. I have given considerable thought to your problems, which, grant you, are many, and I think one in particular is easily solvable."
"Okay, good, which one." Penny asked with some desperation.
Sheldon turned and reached into a cabinet, drawing out another glass. He placed it on the kitchen island between them and pointed at it, "Pick that up."
"Sheldon, you know I can't-"
"Pick it up." He ordered.
Groaning, Penny walked over. The glass stood on the island in front of her - almost proud and tall - mocking her. She reached out, intent on grabbing it. Her fingers slipped right through it as if it was not there at all. She let out an aggravated huff, "See, I told you I can't-"
"Penny," he interrupted smoothly, "You told me after the accident you came home and, in that time frame, before discovering of your own demise, you were able to touch and interact with solid objects."
"Yeah, it seemed so. I mean, I thought-"
"My theory is a simple one, albeit simple enough even your mind can comprehend it. I theorize that when you thought you were alive, it made interaction with the physical world simple, or, what one could conceive as 'normal', but, once you were enlighted to the events of your life or lack thereof, you fell into what could be perceived as 'normal' ghost behavior. You understand?"
Penny blinked, "When I didn't think I was a ghost I could touch things and now that I do think of myself as one I can't?"
"Precisely."
Penny took in a deep breath and shook her limbs out, rolling her head about her shoulders, "Okay, then...all right. I got this. I got it."
She started chanting inside her mind, started trying to convince herself that she was real, that she could pick up this glass, that she could-
Her fingers slipped thorught it once more.
She let out a roar of frustration but Sheldon merely shook his head calmly, "You just need to keep practicing. You'll get it."
"Oh, will I?" Penny asked sardonically, but she found herself still with the will to try again. She reached out a second time, a third, and while there was still no luck with either try she found herself not wanting to give up, not wanting to give in.
In fact, she was so absorbed in her task that she didn't even see Sheldon leave, didn't even recognize that he had clicked off all the lights and turned in for the night. She kept trying and trying, determined.
At varying points she thought she was closer, thought she could almost feel the glass, but she never could quite get a grip on it.
Just as she was about to give up simply due to the need for rest, she saw the glass actually wiggle. She clapped her hands together, exhausted, but delighted. Closer. She was that much closer.
She went back to the couch, her eyelids unbearably heavy and she felt herself smile at her smallest of achievements, the sight of the glass wobbling. But then her thoughts drifted to home videos and prom songs and her mother crying.
She closed her eyes.