This is an AU story that starts with A chance meeting early in the lives of Penny and Leonard. Things happen through their lives that intertwine their experiences while growing up while developing their outlook on life. Not sure about the update schedule as this seems to be a little more difficult to map out... the journey could be a bit convoluted... lots of ideas.
Needless to say, I do not own any of the characters, but may use some of the mentioned acquaintances from assorted episodes.
It was an unusually pleasant end to the Nebraska summer. The skies were blue, cloudless and the heat was some that they hadn't seen in years. School was starting and all the children were getting into their routines with new classes and new friends. The new school year was something that one enthusiastic little blonde girl from a town outside Omaha was particularly looking forward to. She was going to start first grade… her first whole day of school… she could wear a fancy dress with shiny new shoes and cute little socks and have her hair done in a pretty ponytail with sparkly flower barrettes. She was so happy, she couldn't wait for this new adventure.
A week into the new school year, Penny stood by the front door to her house her hair in pig tails with her arms crossed and her little fists balled up under her arms. "NO!... I'm not wearing those… it's too hot outside."
Wyatt was told to get his youngest daughter ready and off to school. It was all her father could do to make sure that Penny wore shorts to school this morning. She had wanted to wear her pink dress again, but her Mother made it very plain… "Under no circumstances… LADY… are you going to school in that dress again so you can hang upside down on the monkey bars and let all the boys see your underpants".
Penny stood in the open door to her closet holding her pink dress. "Jason Sorensen was supposed to marry ME!... not Chelsea Himmlefarb… It's not my fault that my class didn't get out to play fast enough…"
The little girl's mother just rolled her eyes. Wyatt rubbed his forehead. "Slugger… don't you think you are taking this marriage thing a bit too quick? You're only six years old… "
Penny's Mother spun on her heel and went out of the room to see why Penny's baby brother was acting up, while Penny threw her dress on the floor and pulled on the pair shorts her mother had set out. She then stomped out to the front room making quite the scene passing Wyatt who could only imaging how his little girl was going to react to boys when she really did get serious.
Wyatt followed his daughter and now held out the pink sneakers before the disapproving eyes of his younger daughter. "Please… Slugger… your mom was pretty insistent on gettin you off to school on time and properly dressed."
Penny pursed her lips. "Mom said no dress… she didn't say I couldn't wear my sandals. It's too hot to wear sneakers."
Wyatt stood up and tossed the sneakers back into the front closet. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out just where Penny got it from, although, if he was perfectly honest with himself, Henrietta was just like her youngest daughter… and he really shouldn't leave his oldest child Denise out of the mix… When the three of them got together it was a sight to see.
Penny saw her father turn and she ran off back to her room to find her pink flip flops with the sparkly sequins. She quickly slipped them on and grabbed her back pack and threw it over her shoulder before running past her father. "Denise… c'mon… we gotta get to school….!"
Wyatt spun on his heel as Penny dashed by. "Young lady… those are not sandals…" He was practically knocked over by his oldest daughter as Denise ran out the door to catch up to her younger sister. Wyatt took his handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped the back of his neck as he watched his two girls skip down the path on their way to school. "Well… I guess those will just have to do".
Denise caught up to her sister. "Penny… what was that all about? You know how Mom gets when Kenny is all cranky…"
Penny took her sister's hand and skipped along beside her. "I just wanna look pretty".
Denise giggled. "For the boys?"
Penny scrunched her nose. "Ewwww NO!... I just wanna look pretty… and my pink dress makes me feel like a princess…"
Denise laughed. "Okay… but don't make Mom mad. Just get dressed quick and don't let her see you when you leave.."
Penny smiled back. "That would be easier if you would get ready faster". The two girls laughed and skipped down the road on their way to the school.
Denise looked at her sister. "I'm bigger than you and I don't go to your school, I'm in middle school! And mine starts later than yours… It's not my fault that you have to get up in the middle of the night just to get to school".
Penny giggled. "You're just a lazy pants…"
Leonard clutched his book bag tightly next to him as his father drove to school. It was nothing special for Leonard, his father regularly drove past his school on his way to the anthropology department at the University.
Lyndon Hofstadter was just starting to get his career off the ground. He had recently been given a full faculty professorship and he had proposed some field expeditions and was eagerly awaiting responses to his request for grant money. "Leonard, I may be a tad late this afternoon picking you up from school this afternoon."
Leonard looked over to his father. "I'm sorry to be a bother, father… I can do some work while I wait for you".
Lyndon smiled. "Leonard my boy… it is no trouble. I just have a meeting this afternoon".
Leonard started to fiddle with his hands. "Are you going back to Africa?" Leonard looked down trying to keep his disappointment from showing."
Lyndon could see that Leonard was avoiding him. "Leonard… I think we have gone over this… My work with Dr. Leakey is finished. These new grants have to do with Native American tribes such as the Otoe that were in the area around Fort Lisa."
Leonard now looked up. "Will Mother be coming too?"
Lyndon reached over and ruffles the soft curls on his eldest sons head. "So many questions for such a little boy. You know very wee how busy your Mother has been in Princeton, and Michael is a handful at his age. We have talked about it… Your sister is away at boarding school putting more stress on the situation… we decided that it would be easier on the family if we shared the responsibility. That means you needed to come with me while your mother finishes her present work."
Leonard looked worried. "Will I be alone?"
Lyndon smiled. "We will work it out."
Leonard turned to look out the side window. He really didn't know why he was the only one of his siblings that was sent to Nebraska with his father… He sort of understood that Michael was too small, but that only meant that his mother would just keep their Nanny and poor Michael would be alone in Princeton and he would be alone here in Nebraska… and his sister would be off at boarding school… Leonard hoped that he wasn't going to be sent to one of those places… all he could think of was the stories in the books he had read like Oliver Twist… Leonard never wanted to be sent to one of those places.
It wasn't too long before Lyndon pulled up to the front of the school. "Now Leonard… I'm running a bit late, so I am going to need you to find your way to the office. There will be a Mrs. Smith waiting for you. She will make sure that you get to your proper classes. I apologize that I can't bring you in myself. I'm sure you will be fine."
Leonard looked up at his father. "Yes Father… I will be fine…" Leonard tried to not show the nervousness was filling him.
Lyndon reached over and gave his son a pat on the head. "Now go and make your mark in the world".
Leonard smiled and shrugged. He got out of the car and walked up to the school door. Pulling it open, Leonard turned and waved to his father as he watched him drive off toward the University. Leonard sighed and walked into the school. He wasn't really familiar with anything about this school. He was a new student and he would be starting classes a few weeks later than the other kids. It wasn't something he was happy with, but there was nothing he could do about it. This was the first week his father could get away from Princeton and start his new position. His mother didn't seem to be very concerned, she had just said that Leonard would have to "buck up".
Leonard looked down one hall after another looking for what would be the offices. All he saw down the first hall was doors on each side. With a little trepidation, he went to look down another hallway. Just as he turned, one of the doors to the school swung open and he was knocked over.
Leonard's book bag went one way, spilling its contents. His glasses went in a completely different direction and he stopped skidding across the floor to find that he couldn't make heads or tails of what had just happened. "Where did my glassed go?"
Before Leonard could stand, his glasses were being poked into his side. Penny stood with a hand out holding them for him. "Ummmm… sorry… I think these are yours."
Leonard took the glasses held out to him by someone he didn't know. It was a girl, with blonde pig tails, wearing blue jean shorts and a light blue t-shirt with little pink flowers. She was wearing pink flip flops with sparkly pink sequins. She looked at him with big green eyes and a slightly crooked smile. Leonard quickly got to his feet. "Ummm… thank you…."
Penny looked around at the papers strewn on the floor. "Geez… Louise… you gotta lot of stuff in your bag there…" She bent over and started to pick up some of the things that went the farthest.
Leonard could hardly believe what he saw. She was probably the prettiest girl he had ever seen. And she seemed so friendly… back in New Jersey, if he got bumped into… or probably knocked over… on purpose… nobody would help him pick up his stuff… they would just laugh… "Oh… no… that's fine… I can get it… you'll be late for school…"
Penny handed him the things she had gathered together. "Here… they're not in order or anything … I hope it's not too much of a bother…"
Leonard took the papers and put them in his bag with the ones he had picked up. "No… they're fine… I'll get them in order…"
They stood there looking at each other until Penny held out her little hand and blurted out. "I'm Penny…. Penny Ann Pettersson… with two tees and two esses… people are always spelling it wrong…"
Leonard took the little girls hand and looked down blushing a bit. "I'm Leonard… Leonard… Lea…umm… Leonard Hofstadter… People always spell my name wrong too…"
Penny smiled. "Well Leonard Liam Hofstadter… you'll just hafta teach me how to spell it then… I gotta get to my class… seeya round…"
As Penny started to turn, Leonard called out. "Penny?"
Penny turned with a questioning look on her face. "Yeah?"
Leonard took a deep breath. "Do you know where the office is? I have to go there…"
Penny walked closer. "Oh no…. did you get called down to the principal's office? What did you do?"
Leonard looked horrified. "No… It's not like any of that… I'm new and I have to go there so they can bring me to my class."
Penny waved her hand across her forehead in an exaggerated motion. "Phew… that's good… C'mon… I'll show ya". Penny then grabbed Leonard by the hand and pulled him down the hall and stood in front of the office. "Okay… we're here… well … see ya…" Penny then spun on her heels and ran down the hall with her flip flops slapping against the floor.
Leonard looked after her when the office door opened. "Young man? What are you doing out here?"
