You can all stop yelling at me now.

Penny's heart seemed to explode in her chest as he took those last couple of steps and swept her up in his arms. Penny gasped as he crushed her to his chest. Suddenly she couldn't breath at all as he captured her lips with his. Heat spread through her like a wildfire. Just when she was positive she was going to pass out from lack of air, he stopped kissing her.

"If you ever leave me again, I swear I will name our children after famous Vulcans," he warned her.

Penny could hardly speak as she stared up at him. "How?"

"Penny, Penny, Penny, did you really think you could simply exit my life or my mind?" He blushed lightly. "Or my heart?" He relaxed his hold on her just enough for her to breath freely. "You were never really alone. I have spent the last seven years keeping track of you. When you went to night school, I monitored your progress. When you struggled to make ends meet with temp jobs, Howard had to stop me from coming to get you. It was hard, Penny. I wanted to help you so desperately. But I dared not. How would I explain to there you that I needed to fly to New York to help here you?"

Penny shook her head with amazement. "You kept track of me? But I changed my last name. I got a new identity."

"Do you really think a new identity would be enough to fool me? Whether you are Penelope Queen or Penelope Taylor, you are still Penny."

"I don't understand," Penny said softly. "If you kept track of me, wanted to be with me, why did you date Amy? Why did you let me date Leonard?"

He smiled lovingly down at her, tucking her hair behind her ears. "It's like you said, Penny. You had a lot of memories that you cherished. I wanted to have those memories, too. So, we let life unfold the way it is supposed to."

Sheldon wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled. "But I never forgot that you were the one. You are the woman I love. I knew that we both had to make mistakes to become the people we are today. It hurt seeing you with Leonard. I know he had a hard time, too. He loves you. But he also loves me. He's my best friend. And now that you and he are through, maybe he can find Stephanie again. I think you were right about them being made for each other."

Penny stared up at him hopefully. "So now what happens?"

Sheldon pulled a chain from his pocket. A small crystal dangled from it, catching the midday sun brightly. He bent down and kissed her lightly before slipping the chain over her head. "Now we discover the future together."

She smiled softly. "I love you, Sheldon."

He held her tightly. "I love you, too."

At the end of the path stood their friends, watching happily as Sheldon kissed Penny again. Faisal kissed Amy's cheek, and looked at his new American friends fondly. Bernadette hugged Howard close. Raj and Leonard fist bumped before the group began walking toward Sheldon and Penny. The group had made a few mistakes along the way, but they had stuck it out. Sometimes life gives you a second chance. But you have to play your part if you want that happy ending.

A/N : Well, there you have it. My first ever attempt at time travel. I want to thank devilbk again for all his incredibly awesome hard work helping me with this story. Hopefully I surprised him a bit by expanding the last two chapters some to redeem Leonard and Amy more fully.

For the record, yes, there were two Pennys for seven years, one in Cali and one in NY. Once the Cali Penny disappeared, she began again the cycle for this story, leaving only the Penny in NY to live out the future. I thought about sending Penny back to the future, but felt that she could really use those years away from the group to find herself and be a success. Now she and Sheldon can move forward, together.