This is Leonard and Penny's tenth anniversary, after the events of The Third Party Accumulation and The Third Party Outcome. I wrote it mainly because when I heard the chorus of "Livin' Our Love Song," by Jason Michael Carroll, I thought of these two, and how so many do not believe in them, or root for them. But, fellow Leonard and Penny fans, I believe that they are meant to be.
So this dedicated to everyone who is on their side, especially Amtrak12, for all the advice, LenaGuffi, for her obvious love of this pairing, and , who I apologize to again for leaving out of my thank you in part one of this trilogy.
I own only the character's I've created.
Knock knock knock "Uncle Sheldon?"
Knock knock knock "Uncle Sheldon?"
Knock knock knock "Uncle Sheldon?"
"Who is it?" Good old Sheldon, always on the watch for robbers.
"Savannah Mary Hofstadter!"
"And Leila!"
"Well, hello, young goslings," said Sheldon, opening the door and looking down at the two girls.
It was the standard first exchange between Sheldon and their children, but Leonard and Penny still smiled every time they dropped Savannah and Leila off at 4A. Despite his incurable social awkwardness, Sheldon Cooper had never even tried to hide his genuine affection for the girls. They absolutely adored him, and it was never hard for Leonard and Penny to secure Sheldon and Raj-who had moved into 4A when Leonard moved out-as babysitters.
As Sheldon-never one to go against social protocol-invited the Hofstadters in, Savannah and Leila disappeared down the hall and returned with a box. "Can we play Research Lab?" Savannah asked, holding it up.
"Please?" Leila added, looking at Savannah and then back at Sheldon. "The physics is theoretical, but the fun is real!"
Leonard and Penny laughed, smiling down at their daughters. The dark hair Savannah had been born with had lightened in her first year, tipping the perfect-blend-of-both-parents scale slightly in Penny's favor. On the other hand, Leila had looked so much like a female version of Leonard in her first few years that Penny had been secretly terrified that her youngest daughter would grow up a carbon copy of Leslie Winkle! As she'd gotten older, though, Leila had begun to look more like her mother, ending up the perfect blend that Savannah had started out as. When her myopia had worsened at age six, she'd finally been able to get glasses "just like daddy's." Leonard had been so proud.
Sheldon took the game from Savannah and began to set it up. "If I win," said Savannah, "can I whistle?"
"Don't be silly."
She smiled sweetly, looking just like Penny as she did so. "Can I sit in your spot?"
Sheldon began to twitch, and both girls shrieked with laughter.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Leonard warned. "I lived here long enough to know what Uncle Raj is in for if this guy gets irritated enough."
"Don't be so concerned, Leonard," Sheldon said. "I am confident that I will crush your offspring like Luke Skywalker crushed the rancor."
"Well," Leonard said, "I hope not exactly like that."
"Of course not exactly like that," Savannah assured her father. "Uncle Sheldon was simply attempting to use exaggerated confidence in his abilities to intimidate us." She turned to face Sheldon. "It is Junior Rodeo on!"
Penny burst out laughing. Leonard, however, just looked worried. "Aw…not Junior Rodeo…"
"Not to mention imaginary."
"When future generations want to know why your relationship with Penny crashed and burned, this right here is the black box!"
"As you have a lifetime of poor decisions ahead of you, may I interrupt this one?"
"You have as much chance at a relationship with Penny as the Hubble telescope has of discovering that inside every black hole is a little man with a flashlight searching for a circuit breaker."
There had been no end to the taunting. When it came to Penny, his friends had never held back, always right there when things went wrong to tell him that he could never be with her. Oh, he had stopped being a jerk and gloating a long, long time ago, but on nights like this he remembered how lucky he was to be spending his life with her, and how strong their relationship had become.
They went out to dinner at the restaurant they ate at on their first real date, after bailing on the Szechuan Palace reservation due to Sheldon's presence. "I see you've gotten more of the not-really-yogurt," he teased her as they left the restaurant and walked into the night.
"I don't care if it isn't pink or has no berries," she told him, shaking her spoon at him. "It's really, really good."
"Too bad I can't have some," he said with exaggerated regret.
"We're lucky the girls aren't lactose intolerant."
That was something that Leonard was grateful for, but he couldn't resist a tease. "Maybe, but it does mean they can eat more of your cooking."
"Shut up."
She tossed the empty yogurt container into a nearby trashcan and took his hand. "Wanna walk to the park?"
He smiled at her. "Sure." They crossed the street and walked along the sidewalk. The park was a nice refuge from city life, and the people made sure it was well taken care of. The pond was kept safe from pollution, the telephone poles had been mounted with speakers for music in the evenings, and the park benches were rarely marred by graffiti. Every Earth Day since she was seven Savannah had gone to help keep the park clean, and the previous year she'd been honored for her efforts with a bench bearing her name that had been placed by the pond. That same year, she'd skipped a grade at school. Smart, beautiful, and caring. Leila was the same way, and funny, too, when she'd asked people to please "refrain from any adult intimacy on my sister's bench." Of course Penny had been horrified that her seven year old even knew that "adult intimacy" existed, but Leonard had never remembered laughing so hard.
They were alone tonight. It was getting late, and the park was empty, save for the two of them. Finding Savannah's bench in the lit area near the pond, they sat down. A speaker was hidden near a tree, playing music from some country station, and as Penny shifted to lay her head on his shoulder, Leonard suddenly began to listen to the words.
Baby when I look at you with your hair fallin' down in your baby blues.
Standing there across the room I get so lost in the way you move.
It makes me reminisce back to years ago on a night like this.
Teary eyed as you took my hand and I told you that I'd be your man.
Well, it certainly wasn't ten years to the day he'd gone to her apartment to apologize after their fight, but she'd been just as teary-eyed then as the day they'd married, that's for sure.
So many things have come; so many things have gone.
One thing that's stayed the same is our love is still going strong!
Baby just look at us all this time and we're still in love.
Something like this just don't exist
between a backwoods boy and a fairy tale princess!
People said it would never work out
but living our dreams has shattered all doubts.
It feels good to prove 'em wrong
Living our love song.
"I know this song," Penny said quietly, raising her head to look at them. Leonard smiled affectionately at her.
Oh darling would you look at me
With my heart beating fast and my shaking knees.
It's pretty hard to believe after all these years I still need you this badly.
You're dancing in my arms with a spotlight moon in a sea of stars.
Girl we've come so far everything I want is everything that you are.
I just want to lay you down
Say I love you without a sound.
I think you know what I'm talking about…YEAH!
"Not on Savannah's bench," Leonard warned her when she kissed him.
"She's seen us kiss for ten years, Leonard," Penny reminded him. "It's 'that thing parents do to express affection', remember?" They smiled at each other.
Baby just look at us all this time and we're still in love!
Something like this just don't exist
Between a backwoods boy and a fairy tale princess!
People said it would never work out
Living our dreams has shattered all doubts
It feels good to prove 'em wrong!
Living our love song!
It had sure been quite the journey for Leonard and Penny. The day they'd met, there hadn't really seemed like any chance of the two of them becoming more than very casual friends. No one, from their circle to outside individuals had thought that they had any shot. The geek never got the girl-the girl always ended up with some sort of body-building, animalistic jerk. Not this time.
Baby just look at us all this time and we're still in love
Something like this just don't exist
Between a backwoods boy and a fairy tale princess!
People said it would never work out
Living our dreams has shattered all doubts.
Don't it feel good to prove 'em wrong?
Living our love song…
No, they thought as they walked hand in hand back to their car. Not this time.
Feels good to prove 'em wrong
Just living our love song…
It did feel good to prove them wrong.
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