Stuart scrambled so fast he nearly tripped over a cardboard box of discounted Green Lantern plushies when Penny announced her plan.
"A Q&A? Here? Today?"
His voice cracked on the last word.
Penny put a steadying hand on his arm. "Just something small. Short. These people showed up for me — the least I can do is say hi and answer a few questions."
Stuart blinked rapidly, like she'd just offered him a second chance at life.
"Penny… Elisabet… whatever… you are my hero."
She laughed. "Let's not get carried away. I'm just trying to keep things sane."
Sheldon perked up. "Technically, that qualifies you as a hero by several classical definitions."
"See?" Stuart said, gesturing wildly. "Sheldon says so."
Penny pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's… not listen to Sheldon as our guiding star for praise."
"Agreed," Sheldon said solemnly.
Which made her smile.
Stuart rushed off to tidy the already-tidy store, while Sheldon insisted on rearranging the folding chairs into exact rows.
"Optimal sight lines," he explained. "To reduce crowding and maximize participant visibility."
Penny watched him for a moment — precise, focused, trying very, very hard to be useful.
Trying to help her.
Her chest squeezed.
She checked her reflection in a sliver of the display case. She still looked like she'd rolled out of a tornado: messy bun, tired eyes, T-shirt with a cartoon T-rex drinking tea.
But for the first time all morning…
She didn't feel like hiding.
She felt like Elisabet.
Nervous, yes. Terrified, a little. But present.
Real.
Herself.
---
Stuart cracked the front door just enough to speak through it.
"Okay everybody, we're going to do a tiny, calm, non-toaster-related Q&A with Elisabet— I MEAN PENNY — I MEAN—"
Penny gently moved him aside and opened the door wider.
The crowd erupted — cheers, applause, excited shouts.
"Hi," she said, instantly overwhelmed but doing it anyway.
"Thank you all for coming. We're gonna do this inside. Stuart's shop. Small group. Please don't crush him."
She heard Sheldon murmur, "Please also do not crush Penny," like a solemn prayer.
People laughed, easing the chaos.
They filed in carefully, surprisingly respectful given the morning's toaster events.
Penny sat behind the little table while about twenty fans gathered in the chairs Sheldon had arranged. Stuart stood by the register, clutching his emotional support Sharpie. Sheldon stood behind Penny like a silent, vigilant, tall statue of protection.
She cleared her throat.
"Okay. Questions?"
A dozen hands went up.
Penny pointed to a girl in Lyra armor. "Yeah, you."
Lyra Girl nearly vibrated out of her seat. "Is Lyra's design based on Icelandic myth?! Because the runic patterns on her armor—"
Penny brightened. "Yes! They're inspired by traditional Icelandic staves, but stylized into astral geometry. I wanted her to feel ancient and cosmic at the same time."
The crowd murmured, impressed.
Another fan: "Is Caelum based on someone you know?"
Penny froze.
She forcibly stoped herself from glancing at Sheldon, that would be too obvious.
Penny quickly coughed into her elbow. "Uh — Caelum is based on several traits that I find interesting in characters. Logic, vulnerability, emotional challenge. Not anyone specific."
Sheldon stared at her with a stunned expression that bordered on flustered awe.
She ignored the heat flooding her cheeks.
Next question.
A middle-aged woman in a homemade Lyra cape raised her hand.
"What inspired you to start the series?"
Penny opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
The truth was complicated. Impossible. Not something she could ever say.
"I've always had stories in my head," she said slowly. "But I never felt… brave enough to share them. Not really. Not until recently."
Her gaze drifted, almost magnetically, toward Sheldon.
He stood very still.
Listening.
Focused entirely on her.
Present in a way he rarely was with anyone.
She swallowed.
"Sometimes," she finished softly, "you meet people who make you realize you're capable of more than you thought."
A hush fell.
Sheldon's cheeks tinted pink.
Leonard's jaw tightened from the back of the shop, still hovering on the edges as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself.
Penny quickly pointed to someone else. "Next question!"
---
After the Q&A, Penny signed more comics — covers, sketches, shirts, even a kid's cast. Stuart buzzed with nervous joy. Fans thanked her, hugged her (gently), and promised to stop bringing appliances.
Throughout it all, Sheldon stayed close — not hovering, not policing — just… there.
Stable. Steady. Safe.
And for the first time since the reveal, Penny didn't feel like she was drowning.
She felt like she was held.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like someone was quietly anchoring her in place.
---
When the last fan left, Stuart sank onto a crate. "I'm gonna sleep for forty-eight hours."
Penny laughed and hugged him. "Thank you. Really."
He sniffled. "Are you kidding? Thank YOU. My store is famous now!"
Sheldon stepped forward. "Temporarily. Fame spikes typically last between 14 and 28 days."
Stuart deflated. "Thanks, man."
Penny elbowed Sheldon lightly. "Be nice."
"I am nice. I am managing expectations."
She grinned and slung her bag over her shoulder.
Sheldon moved to open the shop door for her.
His posture was different now — open, attentive.
Like he was recalibrating something inside himself around her presence.
And Penny felt something inside her shift too.
Not the bond.
Not magic.
Just… possibility.
"Sheldon?" she said softly.
"Yes?"
"Thanks for… all of this. The schedule. The help. The support. Everything."
He paused at the door.
"You would do the same for me."
Penny's breath caught.
Then he added, almost shy:
"And I will make version 1.1 of the stress mitigation schedule as soon as we return home."
She laughed, heart warm.
They stepped outside into the bright Pasadena sun — the world suddenly louder, bigger, messier.
But she wasn't scared.
Because Sheldon was at her side.
And Penny Teller —Elisabet Eiríksdóttir —
was finally stepping into the light.