Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory was created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. I claim no rights to the show or its characters, and I am not making any money by posting this fic. That goes for every chapter I post from here on out.

Also, this is going to be Shenny. You've been warned!

Chapter One
Splashdown

The small plane tore through the air, jarring violently, eliciting another ear piercing shriek from Penny. Never before had she had so much adrenaline coursing through her veins as she did now. There were no thoughts in her mind, only the terrifying realization that she was about to die.

"Hold on!" the pilot cried from the front of the little cargo plane.

Penny didn't need to be told twice. She was already strapped into her seat, gripping the sides with white knuckles. Beside her, Sheldon's head lolled and bounced with the turbulence. He had feinted just moments before.

The plane crossed a long stretch of land, the tips of trees scratching over its bottom, before running out over a large expanse of water. Seconds seemed like minutes, and yet it all happened so fast. Penny continued to scream as she watched the nose of the plane come closer and closer to the wavy surface of the lake – it may have well been a damn ocean to her, for all she could see was water in front of them. Then they hit the water, hard, and the belly of the plane skipped along the surface twice before beginning to slow dramatically, sending a large wall of spraying water up and over the nose of the plane.

Only when they had completely stopped did Penny's screams fade.

I'm alive… She looked around the interior, at the passed out Sheldon to her left, and to the pilot up front, whom was hunched forward and silent. The plane was afloat, for the moment, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they were all under water.

Think, Penny. Think! She unstrapped herself from the seat, wincing as a hot, stinging pain shot up the back of her neck. She might have pulled something from being jerked around during their landing. No matter. She had to act now. Floatation devices were tucked neatly under the seats – she quickly got to work yanking the one beneath her own seat out and fumbled to put it on. There were so many little hanging straps and buckles. She ignored the little ones and focused on the main three that traveled up the front of the vest, fastening each one into place, and then she turned to Sheldon. He was still unconscious.

She tried calling his name while shaking his shoulders. "Sheldon. Sheldon! Please, wake up." But the physicist wouldn't budge. Water was beginning to seep slowly into the floor of the plane now.

Whimpering, Penny dug out the life vest from beneath Sheldon's seat and undid his seat buckles. She leaned him forward a little bit, letting his head rest on her chest, and worked to get his long arms through the arm holes of the floatation device. Once it was on him and strapped securely, she hurried up to the front of the plane, where the pilot was. She shook his shoulder and leaned down to look at him, but jumped back with a horrified gasp when she saw the blood running down the side of the man's face.

Water steadily filled the interior. It was up to at least an inch now, where she stood. Time was running out. Hot tears built up in her eyes just from the sheer volume of fright she was experiencing, but she choked them back and forced her trembling body to move. She searched beneath the pilot's seat for his life jacket, but nothing lay beneath him. Her eyes darted frantically about. Where did the pilot keep his life vest?

From behind her, Sheldon stirred awake.

"…Penny… Penny, what's going on?"

She turned. There was growing alarm on his face as his mind worked to grasp the situation. She hurried to him, tripping over her own feet, but caught herself before she could fall.

"Sheldon, you have to help me!" Her voice was high and cracked as she spoke. It sounded alien to her own ears. "I can't find his life jacket – we're going to have to pull him."

"Penny, I can't float," Sheldon croaked back, his demeanor shifting to one of panic. "I can't even swim! I did take an online class-"

"-Sheldon, you have a life jacket – you can float!" Penny said. "Just lay back, kick your legs, and hold on to one of his arms. I'll take the other." She made her way back to the front, where the pilot was still slumped forward, unconscious. She released him from the straps holding him to his seat and slung one of his arms over her shoulder. She could hear Sheldon moving behind her, his shoes making gentle splashing noises in the water. "Sheldon, are you going to come help me?"

"Wait, Penny."

She looked back at Sheldon, whom was now hunching by the door of the plane, a small tote in his hand. "Sheldon, we don't have much time."

"Penny, we have to open the door first," he said. His dark, blue eyes were wide, his body shaking with adrenaline, but his voice was calm, in control. "If we wait until the plane is fully submerged beneath the surface, we will also have to wait for the interior to fill up with water to equalize the pressure on the door. We must open the door now, while we still can."

"Okay, okay!" Penny dropped the pilot's arm and splashed over to Sheldon. The water now reached her ankles. "What do I do?"

"Just push when I say to," he replied, and began fumbling with the latches on the door. "Ready? Push."

Together they put their shoulders into it, but the door did not move.

"Okay, again. Push."

Again, they slammed their shoulders into the door – harder this time. It popped open. Sheldon pushed it all the way out as water rushed in over their feet.

"Okay Sheldon, help me get the pilot out," Penny said, making her way to the front of the plane again. She looked back, and to her horror, Sheldon only stood there, hands on the edges of the doorway, staring at her. Was he really thinking of just leaving without helping them? Was he that heartless?

"Penny-"

"-Sheldon Lee Cooper, you get your ass over here right now and help me!" she screamed at him.

For a moment, there was only the sound of rushing water, then Sheldon swallowed thickly and hurried over to help her.

Together, they were able to pull the pilot from his seat and drag him to the open door. The plane was beginning to tip slightly sideways, meaning if they didn't move faster, their only exit would roll under their feet and they would have a much harder time trying to escape.

Penny dropped down to sit off the edge of the doorway of the plane and pushed herself off and into the dark, cold water. She swam around to face Sheldon and grabbed a hold of the pilot's underarms. Sheldon helped push while she pulled, and the pilot's body slid into the water. Penny's head went under as the added weight pulled her, but her vest took her back above the surface. She put her arm around the man's neck and pulled him with her as she began swimming out toward a large body of land just ahead. It looked as though she wouldn't need the physicist's help pulling the man after all.

"Are you coming Sheldon?" she asked, chancing a peek back. She stopped abruptly.

Sheldon stood at the edge of the threshold, his face white, the tote in his left hand and his right gripping the side of the doorway. He looked as though he was about to faint again.

"Penny!" he called out. He looked so much like a child calling for its mother. "Penny, I can't!"

"Sheldon, jump out!" she cried back, her voice breaking.

"Penny, I told you, have a higher than normal body density – if I run a bath too deep, I drown. What makes you think I can jump into this?"

Penny flipped around and began swimming back, struggling to keep the pilot's head above the water. How the hell was she going to get Sheldon to safety, too? She stopped three feet from the plane and waded in the water.

"Sheldon, just get in the water. I'll pull you," she said, trying to keep afloat by leaning back. "Stay if you want, but you're gonna end up in the water anyway."

The water was up to Sheldon's knees now, and rapidly rising as the plane sunk faster. His breathing was erratic. He was really beginning to make Penny worry.

"Sheldon, please, come down!" she begged, spitting out water. "You will float, I promise."

And finally, it seemed his fear of going down with the plane superseded his fear of not being able to stay above the surface, and he gingerly plopped into the water, where he promptly began flailing. Penny swam closer and held out a hand to him. When he felt her arm, he gripped it and yanked her down. Her cry was cut off as her head submerged, and she began jerking and flipping about, trying to wriggle free of him. When she was free, she kicked far away from him and gasped for air above the surface. She brought the pilot's head up with her and once again tried to keep him above the water.

"Sheldon, calm down!"

"Penny, help!"

"Sheldon, you're fine. Stop moving. You're floating!"

Miraculously, after a few more moments of panic, Sheldon listened to her and stilled. He looked over at her with one eyebrow cocked. "Yes… I suppose I am."

"C'mon," Penny said, spitting out more water. Her legs were beginning to tire already.

The two began to swim away from the sinking plane, Penny doing a sort of half-hearted side stroke and using her other arm to pull the pilot with her, and Sheldon doggy paddling a few good feet behind her, his tote floating along beside him. Penny lead the way, moving directly for land, which, though visible from where they were at, was still a good deal away. Penny ignored the tightness building in her calves and pushed on, breathing hard. The shore slowly loomed closer with every kick.

It took them several minutes of swimming until finally their feet could touch bottom. Penny trudged forward, pilot in tow, looking back every so often to make sure Sheldon was following and that he was okay. She felt shaky. She didn't think it was from the cold water, for even though her skin felt like ice, her blood was warm from exertion.

When the water became more shallow and the pilot's backside met the rocky bottom, Penny had to turn around and drag the man with both hands, moving backward onto the shore. Sheldon followed on a steady path behind them, the water up to his knees, then his calves, and once he was ankle-deep, Penny realized she was out of the water. She kept pulling until the man was at least seven or so feet away from the water, and released him, panting. She took a moment to double over, hands on her knees, wet, stringy blonde hair hanging around her face like a curtain. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her legs felt as though the blood in them had been replaced with battery acid.

Sheldon made it onto shore and walked forward numbly, as though in a slight daze. Penny couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she knew exactly what he was feeling. Shock. Total comprehension. Acceptance of the situation; and then another wave of shock. She watched the tall, lanky physicist wobble a bit, and then slowly lower himself to the ground. He sat on his rump, facing the lake. His chest was heaving as bad as Penny's, but his breathing sounded more strained than hers.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He didn't answer at first, not right away. "Penny," he wheezed, "I don't even know how to begin…to answer that question."