A/N - I don't own any part of the The Big Bang Theory. Also, I don't mind the Shamy, just prefer Shenny! This is my very first fanfiction though I have read and reviewed probably a million. Oops.

Genetic Transference - Chapter 1

Penny leaned against the door and softly banged her head against the hard surface, trying to decide if she should even bother trying. Sheldon had been avoiding her for weeks. He would run from her at the mailbox, lock himself in his room when she came to visit and even go so far as to hastily pull on latex gloves and a surgical mask anytime he was confronted by her with no chance of escape. He had finally abandoned his schedule to make himself a less predictable target, for crying out loud!

Dr. Sheldon Whack-A-Doodle Cooper was so desperate to avoid her that he had turned his entire life upside down… what could she possibly have done? She wracked her brain again. It seemed like only the millionth attempt at finding where she went wrong. No doubt another failure. Maybe that was it. She was such a failure he'd finally given up on her. A failed community college education, her tenuous grasp of waitressing technique, poor driving skills, her fleeting dream of fame… none of these were exactly much to offer to a renowned scientist, her beautiful-minded genius who would undoubtedly change the face of physics. She should probably be surprised Sheldon had given her so many chances to prove her worth to him.

I really thought we were connecting lately. Of course, he's a condescending ass, always and forever… but he's like that with everyone.

She knew what he thought of her.

Uneducated - though he was quick to correct her when she yelled at him for thinking she was stupid. "Penny, you are hardly stupid. While you are certainly unambitious and uneducated, stupid is simply not a descriptor anyone could properly ascribe to you.)

Promiscuous - He often complained of the men she brought home. He'd finally taken things a step too far at one point. "I'm not a slut, Sheldon! I have a NORMAL sex drive for a woman my age!" She grabbed her crotchless panties off the laundry room floor and avoided his matter-of-fact gaze, mentally bracing for the merciless insult that was sure to come. "Penny, do you even listen to me at all? It's like talking to a wall! I am not referring to you as a "slut". You are impulsive in your choice of partners, not in the act of coitus itself. I have noticed, while cleaning your apartment, that your prophylactic collection dwindles and replenishes in such a manner to indicate that you are at least "careful" from a physical standpoint." Here Penny gasped and turned bright red. Sheldon knew how often she had sex? "It is obvious that you treat your physical health and cleanliness as being important and that you do not rely solely on your male partners to shoulder that responsibility. However, you treat your emotional well-being and sense of self-worth with such a cavalier attitude that I often wonder if you even recognize your personal value at all. You deserve more than to be pawed at by the neanderthal-of-the-evening, Penny. It is, quite frankly, absolutely boggling that you refuse to see that." Penny had mutely stared as Sheldon continued calmly folding his laundry, occasionally giving her a piercing glare during his speech, before she finally squeaked out a "Thank you, I think…" and stumbling up to her apartment in a daze.

Overly emotional - no modifier there. Well, he was definitely improving in the "providing comfort" department. "There there, Sheldon's here." He might think she was an emotional basket case, but he believed the same of most everyone else on the planet. Could she really take that as a personal slight?

Penny sighed and abandoned her mental list. Trying to emotionally distance herself from Sheldon right now wasn't working. Every time she thought she knew what he thought of her, he had proven her wrong.

I haven't done anything offensive lately. And as much I would prefer it, I know Sheldon hasn't abandoned me as being undeserving of his friendship. That would somehow hurt less. There's only one thing this could be about. He knows… he knows that I'm in love with him. Was the thought of that so terrible that he had to pull away like this? How did he even find out? Where did I go wrong? Oh, Sheldon…

A tear slid down her cheek and her hand grasped the door knob. She started to twist it… maybe she was wrong… maybe this was something else. Sheldon had the emotional sensitivity of an eight year old. Surely he hadn't picked up on her feelings. She'd confront him. She'd find out the problem and fix it.

She started to turn the knob and heard an unmistakeable sound. The click of the knob being locked. Then the heart-wrenching sound of the dead-bolt sliding into place. She stepped back, both hands over her mouth, too late to stifle the sob that had escaped from her throat. She stared at the peephole as she stumbled backward into her apartment, closing the door and sliding to her knees.

He knew.

He would never forgive her.

She sat on the floor and sobbed.