A/N:

This is my first fanfic and I had to make it about Shenny.

"To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves." -Federico Garcia Lorca

"That's the last of it." Penny said as she placed one of the lighter boxes on the floor before shutting the door behind her. Tyler made his walk behind the couch to his blonde girlfriend and slipped his right arm behind her waist. He was almost a foot taller than her, enabling him to rest his chin on the top of her head. They stood in silence and enjoying the peacefulness of the environment. "Thank you for coming with me to Pasadena."

Tyler leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'm just worried that the whole acting thing might not work out so well for you. It's hard making it big but it doesn't kill you for trying, right?" Penny sighed at his comment. She was thankful that he moved down to California from Nebraska with her, helping her with the costs at the same time. Though she was a bit annoyed whenever he mentions how she might not be successful as Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, or Sandra Bullock. All her life, she dreamed of having her name shown on the small screen, big screen if she was lucky.

Living in Omaha wasn't helping her acting career at all. She only appeared on stage at high school productions, and was twice casted for a lead role. If she wanted it to work, she needed to move out of her parents' home and chase her dreams in California. For months, she had planned her life accordingly when she sets foot in the city of angels. She looked up different acting classes and agents back home. Penny decided that she was going to take a waitressing job at the Cheesecake Factory for at least six months before, if it works out as she hopes, becoming a big star. She made arrangements to start her job when she arrives, wanting to earn as much money as possible.

She felt bad for taking some of Tyler's money to further her career. They were dating for almost seven years, meeting at some restaurant the day she graduated high school. Her parents wanted her to attend college and get a degree. She did enroll college, but she failed most of the classes and dropped out soon after. Penny took up small parts in several plays, and those roles didn't really do much to her resume. When Penny tried to convince Tyler to come with her to California, she expected him to break up with her at that exact moment. He wasn't the type of guy to drop everything he has worked for just for some aspiring actress. His father was the CEO of a company and had hired him to manage one of the smaller offices. Penny, while she waited for callbacks that never seem to came, worked as a secretary for him.

Tyler's family wasn't really happy about him being in a relationship with a college dropout failure with nothing to lose. At first, they forbade him from seeing her; suspicious that she was only after the money. After he introduced her to the family and spent more time with them, they had grown to accept her, but had thought that she wasn't the right one. Penny couldn't take the money that he was about to spend to renew their lives with her, and before they moved, she began to doubt if he truly wanted to leave everything behind. Tyler promised her that he would do anything, and he was arranged to work at one of the offices his dad owned in California.

Things started to fall in their places, and she couldn't be any happier. Here she was on the west coast with a man that deeply cared for her and even though he wasn't as supportive as she wanted him to be, it was enough for her for him to help her financially. She unboxed all of the framed pictures first and smiled while seeing the captured memories that she would love to relive. "What do you want for lunch?" Tyler asked, as he opened one of the heavier boxes containing their bed frame.

"I can't eat lunch with you, remember? I'm starting my first shift in a few hours, and I just want to take a nap before leaving." Penny sighed. As much as she wanted to have lunch with him, she needed to start working as soon as possible. Moving out here made her less lazy, and she was actually anticipating work. She didn't know what was in store, but she hoped it was easy like her secretary job back at home. "Can you drop me off to work though? I still hadn't made time to rent a car."

Tyler nodded. "Do you want me to pick you up as well? What time does your shift end?" Penny thought for a second, trying to remember her schedule.

"I'm pretty sure it ends about four in the afternoon." They took a seat on the couch and Tyler's phone chimed, telling him that he had received an email.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm not going to be able to pick you up. The guys at the office want to meet me as soon as possible and I really want to start off with a good impression for them. I'll try and cancel." Tyler started to type another email.

Penny held his wrist tightly, causing him to look up at her. Tyler was muscular, like some of the meat heads she dated before, but he usually kept them hidden beneath businessmen type suits. It made him look more professional. "It's alright. I'll take the bus. Besides, I need to get used to navigating Pasadena on my own before I get a car. It's also a couple minutes away, and I don't mind."

"Fine. But be careful out there. Who knows what danger is in this city. You call me during your break and when you get home, okay?" Tyler requested. He was really concerned with her safety. She smiled and promised him. "Good."

"Okay. Excuse me, I have to take a shower. All this moving is making me feel gross and worn out." She kissed him before dashing into the shower, leaving Tyler to think to himself alone in the living room, surrounded by the yet unopened boxes. Maybe this wasn't a bad idea after all, he muttered under his breath, hearing the sound of the water turning on.

Penny stood in front of the mirror, not enjoying the uniform that she had to wear as a waitress. Her shift started in five minutes, and she already had been told what to do. It seemed simple for her; take the customers' order, request the order in the kitchen, bring the food to the customers, and give them their check when they finished. She was being paid minimum wage, and needed the tips to be big in order to earn enough to pay off a fraction of what Tyler has given to her.

Because of her secretary job, she was able to interact with the customers and sometimes have a little side conversations. Her previous job made her good with people. The tips were fine to her, and she could probably get used to herself being a waitress. Then after the third hour, everything started to go downhill. It was a Saturday, and more families came out to eat. The children were messy and some even throw food at her. Some of her tables needed her to enter the bar area, where most drunk guys would hit on her or even try to touch her. She ran back and forth from table to table, and was very lucky that she didn't mix up any of the orders.

At the end of the day, she was glad she that her shift was finally finished and she could go home. She made about $90 in tips, and she was thinking of having the dinner shift instead, not wanting to endure having little kids create a big mess or having no one come at all during the breakfast shift. It was about four thirty when she left the restaurant, and the bus stop was a few blocks away. She had a half an hour to spend before the bus arrived, but decided to head to the stop.

She was walking down the streets with a purse in hand and a bag with her Cheesecake Factory uniform that she wanted to throw out or burn so much. It was unflattering and uncomfortable. The uniform was a bit larger for her size, and it caused her to look bulky. The sun was unbearable and she wished that Tyler was available to pick her up, regretting her decision earlier. Penny fished her phone out of her purse, only to be devastated to learn that it had died after forgetting to charge it before she took a nap.

Some of the items behind the window stole her attention. One of which was a shoe store; a very expensive one, too. She fought back and forth before deciding to enter the store and look around. Inside it was air conditioned, and once she walked inside, the cool air brushed off all the sweat away. She pictured herself in every shoe that she thought that was cute. Most of them were really pricey and she could only dream of seeing herself wearing them paired with a matching dress of some sort. Enjoying herself in what she can call "paradise," she forgot that the bus was coming and only five minutes before it was due to arrive was when she started to run to the bus stop.

It had already stopped and she watched passengers get off the bus as new ones waited in line. She ran as fast as she could, almost tripping on the way. Penny began to yell, asking the bus to stop, but it was no use. It pulled into traffic and began to move down the street. She stomped her feet and sighed in exasperation. If it hadn't been for the gold paid of stilettos calling out her name, she could have made it earlier. Without her phone, she was unable to look up the next time the bus would come, so she decided to just wait for it. The buses in Nebraska came once an hour, surely buses in Pasadena should also be.

What she thought would be an hour, turned into two hours, and she was getting impatient. A young business woman was strutting down the street with a phone in hand and a cup of coffee on the other. When she was close enough, Penny asked her to search up the time the bus would get there. The woman's face was mixed with annoyance and disgust, probably not liking the smell of sweat and the messy look Penny had. The day became worse when the woman told Penny that the buses wouldn't stop here anymore because a couple blocks down the Cheesecake Factory, a pipe had burst and they redirected all public transportations to a different route. It was already six pm, and the sun was beginning to set. If she wanted to be home before dark, which was clearly impossible, she had to walk forty minutes to her apartment starting now.

The air was getting cooler by the minute, and she was glad she wasn't sweating anymore. Penny told herself to rent a car tomorrow, afraid of having this to occur once more. She followed the route that Tyler took her, but she was till unfamiliar so she had to stop once in a while for directions. The forty minute walk seemed to be longer, and at this rate with all the stopping, she would be home at about eight at night. The next set of directions had her take Los Robles Avenue, which she believed was now a few blocks away from her apartment.

Fine. But be careful out there. Who knows what danger is in this city. Tyler's words echoed through her mind as the sound of cars driving past her filled the empty noise. Good thing she brought along a bottle of pepper spray and small pocket knife just in case. She passed by a few men and women, but as the night grew dark, less were seen. From a distance, Penny could see the next street she was supposed to take, and so she began to hurry up her walking. She checked her watch and figured that Tyler was about to head home by now, and she expects him to be there in half an hour.

She was walking in front of an apartment building when she heard the faintest noise, but was able to catch her attention. Pausing in the middle of the sidewalk, she tried to listen for it again, but nothing happened. Penny resumed walking when she heard another sound, a little louder than before. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest and many thoughts flew in her mind.

"Help." A broken voice croaked and her head shot up every where to look for the person who asked for her help. She turned her head to the side and back, but she couldn't see anyone near her. "Help me."

"Where are you?" Penny called out as she ran around the street to find the person in dire of help. Maybe it's a prank. Maybe it's a trap. Maybe someone's hurt. She couldn't think straight, and began listening for the voice again. "I'm over here." She heard the voice coming from the alley next to the apartment complex so she followed it. Her hand was inside her purse, clutching the pepper spray in case it was to trick her.

Instead of finding a man waiting in the shadows, she was shocked to find a beaten and almost half dead man lying in a pool of blood as he tried to gasp for air. She ran to the man and tried to move him to see where the blood was coming out of, hoping to stop the bleeding that was still happening. "Where's the wound?" She asked him as his breathing became faster and quicker.

There were was a knife wound on his stomach where a gush of blood came out. His face was full of scratches and his right eye was swollen shut. His clothes were torn apart and a couple of brushes ran down his head and hands. There was a long cut on his left leg and he was clutching on her shirt, pulling her close to him. "Someone help! Please!" Penny called out. Why did her battery have to die today?

She placed her hands on the wound and pressed down to try to stop the bleeding. He groaned in pained as she pressed down and she told him to calm down. "Mister, it's going to be okay. Stay with me here. My name's Penny. Shh... Calm down. What's your name?"

The blood was getting everywhere but she couldn't care. He was in so much pain that she started to cry. "Sh-sh."

He wasn't able to say his name. Penny's head turned to the right immediately after hearing someone run to their direction. A man was holding a phone next to his ear as he told the other line about how there's a man who was hurt, and she could tell he had called 911.

"Help is on the way. You're going to be okay." Penny reassured him as she tried to stifle her sobs.

"Sheldon." The man said as his breathing became erratic and he started to wheeze. "My.. Name... Is... Sheldon." He was going into convulsions and Penny had no idea what to do now.

"Sheldon. Stay with me. Don't close your eyes. They're coming, the ambulance. Hold on a little longer. Don't close your eyes! You're going to make it through. Hang on." Penny applied more pressure as the other man who called 911 sat next to her and put his hands on top of hers to help stabilize the wound. She prayed that the ambulance would come faster as she could feel his life slipping away right before her eyes.

As much as she asked him not to, Sheldon closed his eyes and stilled under their touch and efforts to help him.