Flashback XVI

April 2011

Howard left 4B heading for work one late April morning and ran into a four-month pregnant Penny, Penny's mom Susan, and little Charlotte holding her mom's hand, all of them waiting for the elevator. Charlotte was particularly hyper given what time it was, she was hopping in place and had an almost manic-like smile permanently plastered onto her otherwise angelic face. Howard knew that Susan had been staying in 4A since February to help take care of Charlotte and help Penny through another pregnancy.

"Hey shorty, what's got you so hyper so early?" He asked Charlotte, after saying good morning to Penny and Susan.

"Daddy's back today!" The toddler said excitedly.

"Sheldon's back?" Howard looked up at Penny for confirmation.

Penny nods, "Yep, we're heading to Miramar now, the Logistics person I spoke to said a flight of Marines was inbound at noon. I know that Sheldon wants to surprise us, but he's surprised me so many times that this time it's payback."

Howard chuckles, he enjoys the antics of the family across the hall. They are to him what a family should be: loving, fun, and supportive. In the past few months that both he and the gang have been around Penny and Charlotte, he fully grasped the difficulties his own mother went through in raising him. When one parent is gone it takes a village to raise a child. He and the gang were happy to help Penny whenever they could, and helping watch the little tyke really helped his and Bernadette's relationship. He went out and bought a ring, he was waiting until she defended her dissertation in May to propose. They had talked about a long-term commitment for a few months now but it wasn't until he saw how motherly Bernie got with Charlotte that he knew that Bernadette's fear of being a mother was really misplaced childhood trauma. Bernadette had told him early on in their relationship that her mother's under-the-books babysitting operation caused her to feel like children were too much of a hassle and that they throw tantrums, and cry, and she saw herself being childless. Howard understood that, given his own trauma with his father's subsequent abandonment he wasn't exactly sure he knew how to be a father anyway. But seeing Penny with Charlotte changed all of it. Bernadette had taken to watching Charlotte more and she often mused how nice it'd be to have a little girl that looked like the two of them. Howard had been comically horrified that Bernadette would wish his physical genes onto their daughter. He joked that "then that would make her short, with a big nose, bulgy eyes, and a five o'clock shadow. I don't think any guy would date a girl with a five o'clock shadow… then again that might be a good thing." He was happy that Bernadette saw a future with him enough to picture having his kids; that was much more appropriate than when Leonard creepily declared his and Penny's non-existent kids 'will be smart and beautiful' after just meeting her for all of five minutes.

"I'd love to be there to see the big guy, but I'm needed at work apparently the Mars rover is acting up," Howard told them as they all got into the elevator.

"You put a dog on Mars?" Charlotte pouted at him.

Penny laughed, Susan chuckled, and Howard smiled. "No honey, a Mars rover is a remote- controlled car used for exploration," Penny told her daughter.

"Oh… can I play with it?" Charlotte asked innocently.

Howard laughed, "Get at least a master's in aerospace engineering then we'll talk." The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the lobby.

Charlotte looked up at her mom, "What's that?"

"It's what Uncle Howard has that allows him to use the rover," Penny told Charlotte.

Howard didn't hear Charlotte's response, so he called out, "Well kid, tell your dad 'hi' from me when you meet him," as they walked to the parking lot and they waved goodbye.

It took two and a half hours to get to MCAS Miramar and then took another 45 minutes to get through security. But Penny knows it'll all be worth it when they see Sheldon again because Charlotte had been asking her ever since they went to the park a few weeks ago and she saw flower beds in bloom, "How many more days, Mommy?" That was a broken record she wanted to trash.

They made it onto the tarmac hangar and ran into Val and Alex; Val commented on her baby bump since this was the first time she saw her with the bump, the last time Penny still had a flat tummy.

"I see Sheldon did quite a number on you before he left," Val whispered.

"Val! Ixnay on the exsay alktay," Penny admonished her best friend with a harsh whisper back.

"Oh relax Pen, like they even know," Val brushed off her friend's concerns, "Besides, they're over there with your mom." Val pointed to Susan pointing out to Charlotte and Alex a few of the military pieces stored in the hangar under guard.

Penny sighed, "Still…,"

Val chuckled, "Why so nervous, Penny? Your hubby and mine and a whole slew of other Marines are coming back today," she grinned, "Be like that song Pen, don't worry, be happy."

"Your eternal optimism and perkiness astound me," Penny deadpans, "Maybe the coach was right to pick you as head cheerleader, after all."

Valerie's grin widened, "Ha, so you finally admit it," Val fist pumps and raises her outstretched arm over her head in victory, drawing a few curious eyes. "Best day ever."

Penny rolled her eyes, "Shut up, Val."

After another 45 minutes, the hangar doors open and the gathered families see a large transport plane taxiing to a stop, Penny picks up Charlotte as Susan joins her and Val. When the plane stops, Penny puts Charlotte down again so her daughter can hold up her handmade sign, "My Daddy Is Finally Home! Welcome home, Lieutenant Daddy!!"

The back of the transport plane opens and the Marines file out orderly, each carrying a sea bag.

In the distance on top of the ramp, Charlotte makes out her dad's face, she starts to jump up and down, and shouts happily, "I see him, I see him!" Penny and Susan smile.

Penny and Val notice that in the distance Sheldon is with Michael, Penny hears Valerie let out a sigh of relief beside her. "Right, and you call me nervous, huh?"

Val narrows her eyes but says nothing.

A few minutes later, Sheldon comes into full view of Charlotte and she drops her sign and runs as fast as her tiny legs could carry her into her father's arms. Sheldon bends down and picks up his daughter who by the time she's in his arms is crying into his shoulder. Sheldon pats the back of her head gently and whispers words of reassurance as he makes it over to Penny and his mother-in-law, who he was surprised to see.

Penny and Sheldon share a brief and awkward reunion kiss since Charlotte is still attached to Sheldon's neck. They hug briefly before Susan hugs Sheldon welcoming him home.

"Charlotte honey, don't you think you should let Daddy go now?" Susan asks amused at how clingy and possessive her granddaughter was being. A petulant and dismissive 'No' makes the three adults chuckle.

"See what I mean when I said totally Daddy's Girl?" Penny whispered.

Susan rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry, "Pfft, like you can claim the moral high ground on this, little Miss I'm-Joining-Junior-Rodeo-Because-It'll-Make-Daddy-Happy." Penny blushed.

Eventually, Charlotte released her death grip on Sheldon's neck and gave her dad a proper welcome. He puts her down and she goes over and picks up her discarded sign, "Do you like my sign, Daddy? I made it all by myself."

Sheldon looks it over, "It's very sweet." Then chuckled to himself because his title was spelt correctly, "Did you really spell 'Lieutenant' by yourself?"

"'Kay, Mommy helped a little bit," Charlotte admitted.

Michael and Val invite the Coopers to spend the afternoon with them before going back up to Pasadena, they agree and head to the parking lot, with Charlotte happily holding onto Sheldon's hand and swinging it about.

Susan and Penny walked behind the pair and Susan quipped to her daughter with a laugh, "Well, somebody's glad to have their dad back."

Penny snorts with amusement, "There's an understatement."

After an afternoon spent with the Clarke's, where Penny fielded more than a few questions about her pregnancy and then they all went out to eat, the family were finally home.

When they came home, Charlotte runs into the bedroom and back out, holding a large plastic bag. "Happy… late birthday, Daddy…" she says a little out of breath as she holds the bag up to Sheldon.

The adults chuckle, but Sheldon graciously takes it and picks up Charlotte again. "Thank you, Charlotte."

"Open it, Daddy," Charlotte tells him.

Sheldon settles on the couch, with Charlotte on his lap as Penny takes a seat beside them and Susan occupies another part of the sectional, snapping pictures on her phone. Sheldon opens the bag and pulls out a Build-A-Bear box, his curiosity gets the better of him. He opens it and pulls out a cow dressed in Marine dress blues.

"His name is Cooper the Moo-rine. Get it?" Charlotte giggles.

Sheldon chuckles, "I do. And it's very clever." He kisses her cheek in thanks.

"Happy birthday again, Daddy." Charlotte grins and returns Sheldon's cheek kiss with one of her own before hopping down and running off, probably to colour.

"A Moo-rine, huh?" Sheldon chuckles looking at Penny.

Penny puts her hands up, "Hey don't look at me, I didn't even know about it, Mom took her to Build-A-Bear."

Sheldon turns to Susan who has put her phone away, "We spent more time looking at outfits than we did making the cow," Susan admits.

"That just proves Charlotte is definitely Penny's," Sheldon chuckles again. Penny sticks her tongue out at him.

***

After receiving the belated birthday present from his daughter, Sheldon was looking forward to an uneventful night with his family after the gruelling five months he spent in Afghanistan. For the most part, it was a quiet night, he fed Charlotte, ate and talked at dinner with Penny and his mother-in-law, watched some TV, and got ready for bed. A stark contrast to his hellish nights,

thousands of miles away from Western civilisation. However, it wasn't until both he and Penny got into bed together that Sheldon sensed something amiss with his normally talkative wife.

"Penny is something wrong; you're awfully quiet." Penny sighed.

"Are you not happy I'm home?"

Penny shook her head, "No, I'm thrilled it's just… I don't know how you're going to react and I've been dying to find out."

Sheldon was confused, "What are you talking about, Penny?"

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Okay so a couple of weeks back, my mom and I went for a check-up, and the doctor asked if I wanted to know the sex of the baby, I told her I did but also I wanted to find out with you, soI asked her to put the results in an envelope. We talked about trying for a boy, but you know it's not an exact science, more of a coin flip. And—"

"Are you asking me if I want to know if we're having a boy or girl?" Sheldon interrupted his wife's ramblings.

Penny nodded and pulls a large envelope out of the nightstand on her side of the bed. "I want us to find out, but I also don't want you to be disappointed."

"Why would I be disappointed? My wife who I love, who I cherish has already given me one healthy child and is the best mother to our firstborn under let's say, unusual circumstances and is about to give me another one. As you said, Penny, it's a coin flip, so while we want a boy, I'm sure we'll both love this baby as much as Charlotte regardless of sex."

"So… do you want to do the honours, Daddy?" She hands him the envelope.

"You're making this into the Baby Oscars, you know that?" Sheldon quipped as he took the envelope. Penny laughed.

He opened it with Penny nestled into his side, "Can I get a drumroll?" Penny rolled her eyes instead, and Sheldon chuckles. Pulling the contents out he announced, "We are having a… girl."

Penny collapses onto her husband's chest in relief and sobs into his t-shirt.

Sheldon mistakenly interprets her reaction as negative, "Are you disappointed we're not having a boy?"

She pulls herself off of him and wipes her tears with her sleeve before answering, sniffling a few times, "No, honey it's just hormones and I'm just so happy. Having you back, knowing what we're going to be dealing with in a few months, having Charlotte revert back to her perky old self again, it's all just a relief. I guess the gravity of the day finally caught up with me."

Sheldon smiles and leans to kiss her properly and tenderly for the first time that day, his thumbs further wiping away her tears.

When they break, Penny smiles, "I really needed that too. Welcome home, honey."

They resettle and Penny starts to muse while drawing nonsensical patterns on Sheldon's chest and arms, "So, what do you think about moving, and how about 'Eleanor' for a potential name?"

Sheldon chuckles, "All topics for a later date, Penny, I'm just glad to be home holding you rather than in a military-issued bed."

Penny yawns, her eyes beginning to droop, "Okay honey, we'll talk about it tomorrow. Just hold me tight tonight, all right?" She says sleepily.

"I intend to."

Leonard looked at the envelope in anticipation, his public defender had dropped off the Supreme Court's response to his Petition for Writ of Certiorari. After the Central District of California had upheld his conviction he had his public defender petition the Supreme Court to hear his case, it had taken months, but if successful he could void his conviction and the massive fines in one fell swoop. He opened the letter and his face immediately turned red, it was a rejection to even hear his case instead the Supreme Court was going to allow the lower court's ruling to stand. Months of legal work and hope dashed by two paragraphs.

"Is there anything else you can do?" He asked his attorney.

"Not unless you have a time machine," his public defender quipped dryly. He had been assigned to Leonard Hofstadter's case after not one but two other public defenders had recused themselves for one reason or another. He heard horror stories of hopeless cases bandied around by those in the profession but in 22 years of practice, and six as a Federal public defender, he'd never seen a more hopeless case than Hofstadter v. United States. This idiot, who supposedly has a doctorate in physics from an Ivy thought he could game the system and especially the Department of Defense, and still come out smelling like roses? A jury found him guilty on four of five counts among them, stealing government property, destroying government and private property, obstruction of justice, and presenting a false, fictitious, or fraudulent claim to the federal government. The fact that he was serving only a 26-year sentence is a miracle. But does this asshole not realise that the more he appeals a case wherein none of his rights was violated, wherein nothing excessive, cruel or unusual was given as a penalty, that allows the DoJ to keep his file active and continue to monitor his past thereby unwittingly destroying any potential future he may have? In six years as an FPD, he knows

a proper appeal of a criminal conviction is almost always granted if the appellant can produce compelling new evidence to overturn their conviction, but in his Writ of Certiorari petition to the Supreme Court, the idiot sitting across from him gave him nothing and told him to 'cite precedent as evidence'. What that told him was Leonard Hofstadter was guilty and had no other way out except on technicalities, which meant the original prosecution team had done a thorough job sorting and presenting the evidence against him. That's why his petition was a mere three pages long. Normal certiorari petitions were at least a dozen pages or more.

Leonard doesn't respond.

"Mr. Hofstadter, given your latest appeal rejection, this time from the Supreme Court, I believe it only fair to remind you that until you come up for parole in 2028 that you've exhausted the federal appeals process. Good day." He stood and left leaving Leonard gobsmacked.

Leonard sat there until a guard came and had a serious case of déjà vu when he was led out into the yard for some fresh air. Ever since his mother told him she was done with him, he hadn't heard from her or anyone else in the family—not that the rest of them ever wrote or visited him. He had spent his time since then ruminating over the fact that his father wanted him aborted and his mother kept him and yet all his life he treated her with disdain. He compared how his siblings got along with his mother to how he did and he noticed distinct differences. His siblings never hesitated to call his mother, 'Mom' and he hadn't either until he went to private school. It was then that he started to refer to her as 'Mother' almost exclusively. His siblings weren't overly athletic, but they were more so than him. Both his siblings took advantage of the fact that the house had a private tennis court and would often play with his mother or when his father was around the four of them would play mixed doubles, with him serving as the umpire. His mother liked to cook when he was younger he remembered, but she took extraordinary measures when cooking his meals; like on make-your-own taco nights. He had his own servings of vegan cheese and non-dairy sour cream.

He always thought she bought those until he moved and tried to find the brand and was told by his sister, "Mom, made those special for you. You can't buy that." Now that he's had time to fully reflect the only one who really cared about him was his mother; his father was always working or fishing and when he was around the house kept to himself. He always thought that kind of stoicism was how he needed to act, but he never could quite pull it off. He supposes that everything he did or tried to do was to get his mother's attention but he also hated when that attention wasn't positive like when it was shown to his siblings. But he guesses, his mother did have a point, he never did anything to receive the kind of attention his siblings did. He attended Princeton but was only, in the top three percent, not valedictorian like his successful older siblings. And while Princeton had offered him a job in their number five-ranked Physics Department, he instead chose Caltech's much more superior top-two-ranked department and left as soon as he could. Maybe in hindsight had he stayed back East he could've repaired his fractured relationship with his mother and his family over time and avoided everything, but he was too eager to prove himself—and his mother wrong—and ventured out on his own. That was a mistake. And look where that's gotten him, stuck in a federal prison for the next quarter century and then following that a decade of probation, and massive fines he couldn't pay back in this or another lifetime. And with no friends or family worried about him, that last thought riled him more than the time he'll spend in prison.

Sheldon had just finished feeding Charlotte, he was granted 48 hours of liberty before he was needed back on base. He discovered that ever since he and Penny had found out they were having another girl, he rather looked forward to the arrival of his newest daughter. Because if he was honest with himself, he really didn't know how to raise a son properly; he didn't exactly have the greatest template to go off of. A single heartfelt deathbed conversation and a handful of moments prior to that is hardly the foundation of a proper father-son relationship. At least with a girl, they have Penny and her experiences as a guide and he could support and love them as needed.

He had also thought over Penny's idea of moving. They had always talked about buying a home eventually, they weren't going to rent forever. Sheldon thought over what Penny wanted in a house: a big yard, plenty of bedrooms, a safe neighbourhood, and good schools. Based on those criteria he had selected a handful of properties that fit her requirements all of which were within minutes of their current dwelling. Penny had told him she would like to move before she gave birth, with him at home, he'd take care of that little detail, all he wanted was for Penny, Charlotte, and the baby to be happy and comfortable. As a Marine, he found that even the most spartan of luxuries to be acceptable.

While Penny was at work he told his mother-in-law his plans as she would be with them for another week before returning to Omaha. He valued Susan's opinion, she and Penny had similar tastes so if Susan liked his offerings, chances were Penny would too. All of the properties were well within their home-buying budget—a large chunk of which came from the sale of his Pop- Pop's cattle farm and subsequent investments he made from that sale. The only thing he was unsure of was whether Penny wanted to leave LA County or not. If she did, he had a secondary selection of homes selected closer to Camp Pendleton, and Val and Michael.

He also thought of baby names and had thought Penny's first choice of 'Eleanor' was perfect. It was elegant and adorable at the same, plus it satisfied his desire to continue naming his daughters after queens to follow their mother. Penelope, named for the mythical Greek queen; Charlotte, while he knew was named after his grandfather, doubled for Queen Charlotte of England—King George III's wife—and if they indeed name their newborn, 'Eleanor' she could take after Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine; one of the most influential and powerful women of the Middle Ages. If they go for Penny's first choice, his choice for a middle name satisfies his desire to continue to honour the most important women in their lives. His beloved Meemaw and Penny's mother—'Barbara'. It was he believed a happy coincidence that both his Meemaw and Penny's mother shared that same middle name. He also thought that 'E. B. Cooper'—should his daughter want to become a writer and use her initials as a nom de plume—was neutral enough to appeal to readers of both genders. He had discussed this with Susan already and she was moved and honoured to lend her name to their second child—that is if Penny agreed to it.

That night after tucking Charlotte in, he and Penny decided to talk about their immediate future. He presented her with the first selection of homes, telling her, "I have another selection outside of LA County if you wish to move away from here and closer to Val and Michael."

She smiled as she opened the carefully curated volume. "Have you made arrangements with any of the realtors?"

"No, I wanted to know your preferences first before I scheduled any viewings."

She nodded and flipped through the packet again, landing on a white Colonial Revival home in Madison Heights, about five minutes from the apartment. "I wanna start here," she pointed to the property.

"Any particular reason?"

"No, but it does remind me of houses I used to draw as a kid, you know?" She laughed.

"Colonial architecture is typically what comes to mind when Americans think of the 'house with the white picket fence'," Sheldon told her.

Penny chuckled, "I see being in Afghanistan a second time hasn't diminished that beautiful mind of yours. Still as sharp as ever."

"I wasn't gone that long, this time around," he argued.

Penny nodded in agreement, "True, but you weren't here with a two-year-old that kept asking day after day, 'How many more days, Mommy?' It got worse after spring officially came."

He leans in and kissed the top of her forehead, "I apologise for burdening you, Penny," he said softly.

She pulled back and looked him square in the eyes, "No, never apologise for that. I told you already, I knew what I was getting myself into with you—the highs and the lows—the highs have certainly made the lows much more bearable, and I love you for standing up for what you believe in, so never apologise for that."

Sheldon smiled, "So I'll call the realtor first thing tomorrow morning and make an appointment for Saturday?"

She pecked him on the lips, "Sounds good to me, Lieutenant."

"Another topic I wanted to bring up with you," Sheldon said changing subjects swiftly, "I really like 'Eleanor' as a first name, what do you think about 'Barbara' as a middle name?"

"After my mother?"

Sheldon nodded, "And Meemaw, her full name is Constance Barbara Tucker."

Penny understands, "Is it because I gave Charlotte a form of your mom's name as a middle name?"

Sheldon nods, "Yes. It follows a nice pattern, I believe. Their first names are after queens and their middle names are after our maternal influences."

Penny chuckled, "What would you have done if it was a boy, then? Named him after kings and our paternal influences?"

Sheldon sighed, "If I'm honest, I'm sort of glad you aren't bearing me a son. I didn't exactly have the healthiest father-son model to help with that."

"Is that your way of saying you're done at two?" Penny asked softly, somewhat disheartened.

Sheldon shook his head, "No, of course not, I would not deprive you or myself of potentially more children we might want just because I'm afraid of how they'll be raised. I'm just… sad, I guess, that my best memories of my own father can be boiled down to a handful of good experiences and one heart-to-heart talk, literally before he died. If we do have a son in the future, I want to be more involved than my father was with me, but again I don't know where to start given my limited exposure to the 'good times with my old man'." He made air quotes around the last phrase.

Penny leaned in and hugged him, "Oh honey, trust me when little Ellie is born we are hopping right back on that saddle and trying for a boy and you honey, are gonna be the best dad to the most handsome boy ever."

Sheldon rolled his eyes at his wife's eternal optimism and exaggeration, but sighed into her embrace, comforted by her words. However, instead of responding to that latter statement, he noted the first half of her declaration, "So… we're going with 'Eleanor'?"

Penny just laughed and nodded her head.

Flashback

September 2004

Sophomore year. Penny hoped it'd go much smoother than her freshman year. Val was right, it was starting to look like high school all over again, the biggest difference being she only dated

three guys, but also 'gave it up' to two of them. And if she was honest, it was the sex with them that led her to dump them. She thought if she finally gave into the physical side of things she could forgive their idiocy—after all, it wasn't like she had dated many brainiacs in high school, including the guy she lost her virginity to who put pig crap into his mom's car—but the sex sucked. They were in awe of her body, but she was less than impressed by them, and not just in size. She couldn't come because it was over too quickly, and Brian even had the audacity to ask her afterwards, "So, was it as good for you as it was for me?" Selfish prick. Both the guy and his dick. At least Doug was embarrassed for coming too soon. This year she was determined to make it better than her freshman year, first, by concentrating on her studies, and second, by rejecting all boys who came to her and Val's dorm room looking to ask her out. She knew that Nebraska was more of a party school but even she was surprised that at a school of nearly 25,000 students, she couldn't find one smart guy that piqued and held her interest. Why was it always the dumb ones that came calling?

Maybe it was divine retribution for dating so many dumb jocks in high school that now, even in college she was cursed to only attract the dumb ones.

"You need to go out," Val told her as she dropped her books on her desk and then dropped onto the bed.

Penny who was sitting at her desk with open textbooks, rolled her eyes, "Not happening." "Why not?"

"Because," Penny began, keeping the annoyance out of her voice, "I tried your 'new year, new Penny' thing last year and all I got out of it was two really bad fucks. This year I'm gonna work on me, get my grades higher, get my priorities in line and tell every dumbass boy who comes knocking 'thanks, but no thanks'."

Val gasped dramatically and says in falsetto, "The great Penny Teller taking a vow of chastity? The horror!"

Penny flips her off playfully, "Ha-ha, very funny. But this year, I'm focusing on me." "If I know you Penny, and I do, you won't make it past winter," Valerie quips.

"Gee, so nice of you to show confidence in me," Penny says sardonically.

Val waves her off, "Oh don't be like that, I didn't mean it like that, I just mean if all goes to plan you'll have a new beau by winter. In fact, Michael's pretty sure you will." Valerie grins.

"Michael? What does he… oh God, you two aren't setting me up are you?" Penny groaned.

Val nodded, "We are, and according to Mike you're gonna love him. Tall, blue eyes, kinda shy, and really smart."

Penny blows a raspberry, "Oh please, that's exactly what you said about Brian, and he turned out to be a major asshat."

Val laughs, "Well, the guy that Mike's thinking about setting you up with isn't quite a Major but he is a Sergeant."

Penny huffs and tries to get back to studying. She'll tell off this guy that her best friend and her boyfriend want to set her up with when she gets around to it. So far, her search for her dream guy has been fruitless. She thought Doug or Brian were those guys that's why she hung around until the sex, but it felt nothing like it did in her dream. They didn't make her laugh the way her dream guy did either. She thinks that maybe it was her subconscious playing a cruel joke on her.

February 2005

Penny was about to give up, maybe she just wasn't cut out for college. She had avoided any and all potential suitors to focus on her studies but stupid ass Intro to Physics was proving to be her Kryptonite. If she withdrew now she could get back her class deposit and her transcript wouldn't be negatively affected, then she could drop out altogether and with the money she had—what little there was—move to California and pursue her acting dream with gusto. That was the plan anyway until Val came back for the winter session a changed person, she wondered what had happened.

She saw no physical signs of abuse or trauma, but Val was definitely quieter, it wasn't a worrisome quiet more a refined kind of quiet. She honestly wondered what had happened. With Val taking three straight weekend trips home her first thought was somebody was in the hospital or dead, but every time Val came back she was happier than when she left. Penny resolved to figure out the problem with her friend and roommate before she left, which delayed her yet-to-be-announced plans. Then it came.

Penny got fed up with Val's brooding routine and just demanded Val tell her the reason. The reason wasn't what she was expecting, but she took some comfort in knowing that Michael is okay. That was when she dropped her bombshell, she didn't know it but by forcing her best friend to talk she accelerated the process of meeting her dream guy—literally.

The second she looked up at the tall stranger next to her the following weekend, she just knew it was her dream guy. Penny wasn't normally bashful around guys but around a man that at least in her dreams had already made her come—she was glad they were meeting outside. And funny, and smart, and had the most daring and deep blue eyes she'd ever seen. It was over coffee a few minutes later when she had to mentally tell herself to get a grip when she started to picture wedding bells. Sheldon gave her a new perspective on her plans, as well as pointed out some wrinkles. It was after coffee and after Sheldon left with Michael that Penny fell back onto her bed with a dreamy sigh.

"So he was that good, huh?" Val snickered.

That jolted Penny from her daydreams, "Shut up, Val." Val laughed and said, "I told ya!"

Still, on her bed, Penny turned her head toward Val, "What did you tell me?"

"That you won't make it past winter. And just look at you one meet-and-greet and you're all doe- eyed and dreamy. Just remember to make me maid of honour at your wedding and we'll call it even." Val chuckled.

Penny grabbed the nearest pillow to her and threw it half-heartedly still on her back at Val. This only made the other blonde laugh harder.

"C'est l'amour…" Val said with amusement as glanced another look at her best friend and walked into their bathroom to change.