AN: Alright, guys! Chapter one!
Enjoy! :)
December 20th, 2019
Penny couldn't remember the last time she felt so frantic as she ran around her room. Her room was a ghastly mess; clothes strewn about the floor and furniture, candy wrappers from the other night when her and her friend, Cecilia, had stayed up stuffing themselves with chocolates and re-watching old movies, homework that she had yet to finish, and the remains of what had been her Christmas wrapping supplies.
Penny's room was always this messy, even though if you asked her she would deny it, it was, unlike Sherman's room, always a disaster.
Penny yelped as a piece of wrapping paper she had just stepped on slipped out from under her and she fell flat on her back. She groaned, and quickly scrambled back up off the floor to continue her search frantically.
I was so sure I set it on my vanity!, Penny thought. Shuffling through all the stuff that had been tossed onto her vanity.
"Penny!" She heard her mother call from down the hallway. "Come on! We're going to be late!"
She grunted angrily as she shut the drawer to the vanity table, where it had not been. "Just a second!" She threw herself down on the ground and looked under her bed for the small, square box.
Soccer ball, clothes, that weird thing that Cecilia's brother Chase had given her for Christmas, a picture of her and Sherman when they were little, her lacrosse stick. No box.
She heard the door swing open and come to a stop against the wall and looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway with an exasperated look on her face and a hand on her hip. Her long, blonde hair was up in a Chignon bun, exposing her neck and she wore a long, sparkling mermaid gown, with a semi low v-neck and mid length sleeves that flattered her subtle curves nicely and already had her clutch in hand, ready to go out the door. She raised a perfect, blonde brow in expectation as she looked down at her disgruntled daughter. "Penny, what is taking you so long? Why are you on the floor? You're going to get your dress dirty."
Penny sighed, knowing that her black dress was probably a little messy, but not entirely caring in her state of frustration. "I can't find Sherman's present. I've lost it. I'VE LOST IT RIGHT BEFORE THE PARTY! UUGHH!" She groaned, pulling at her hair.
Her mother stepped forward with a loving smile and gently took Penny slender hands in hers, pulling them away from her hair. "Darling, I think that I saw Tommy playing with a small box about thirty minutes ago, in his room. Let's go check." She gently cupped Penny's flushed face, before leading her, by her hand, to her little brother's room. It was clean, somehow, considering that he was always playing in there. But somehow her mother managed to keep up with the house, her job, cooking, and her kids. Penny was always amazed by that. She didn't know how she did it, she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen her mother cleaning, but the house was always clean.
She looked around the room and, crouching down in front of the toy box, dug around in it for a minute or two before producing a small, silver box with a smile gracing her beautiful face. Penny sighed in relief, feeling her shoulders relax and stepped forward taking the small, ornate box from her mother's outstretched hand. She smiled to herself, looking at it with satisfaction, before tucking it in her palm, safely. "Thanks, mom." She said, smiling up at her mother who had gotten up off the floor. Her mom had always been taller than her by at least three inches, but those gold heels gave her a couple more inches on Penny.
"Come on. Lets get you cleaned up." Her mother said, smiling down at her. She turned Penny around, put her hands on Penny's shoulders and led her through the hall and turned into the only door on the left; her parents room. Her mother stopped her in front of her full length mirror; Penny wore a simple, black velvet dress that flared out just slightly and stopped right above her knees. The v-neck line of the dress wasn't too low, so it was still modest and didn't show any cleavage, the dress was sleeveless and her long, blonde hair was pulled up into an exquisite crown braid, some loose curls hanging down and lying on her neck. She wore classy, simple black shoes to top it off. Her mother had in fact been right; the black velvet had some crumbs on it from crawling around on her filthy floor, as did the shoes and her once perfectly smooth hair was now ruffled and frizzy. She sighed, she'd never been one to worry about her looks, but she was headed to a formal dinner at the Peabody's and she looked like a mess.
Her mother's delicate hand lifting her chin up broke her out of her silent reverie. She looked at her mothers smiling face in the reflection of the mirror and gave an apologetic look."It's alright, mon cher. You just need a little touch up."
After they had brushed her dress off and redone her hair in a low-chignon up-do, her mother lent Penny her black-jewel studded clutch and a pair of dangly diamond earrings as the finishing touch. "Alright, little deer. Just don't forget this." She advised, gently setting the little box inside the jeweled clutch. Penny nodded and gave her a bright smile and they made there way down the hallway and out the door, where her dad had already buckled Tommy in and was waiting patiently, leaning against the dark, red car. He was wearing his nice black tux and had his dark hair combed back, looking very dashing.
He smiled brightly at them as they approached, "Wow! You two look so beautiful!" He kissed mother and then bent down to kiss Penny's cheek. "I wouldn't be surprised if Sherman popped the question tonight!"
She blushed scarlet and punched his shoulder playfully, but somewhat serious also. He laughed merrily, the smile reaching his eyes and rubbing his shoulder where she'd punched him. She knew he just liked to tease her about it, but she was already on an anxiety high and didn't need anything else to add to it.
"Not so bad yourself, handsome!" Her mom said, throwing her arms around his neck, before giving him a lingering kiss.
Feeling awkward, but slightly amused by her parents antics, she promptly brushed her dress off and cleared her throat. "Alrighty! Let's get going!"
Her parents didn't miss her discomfort and chuckled, as her dad opened the car door for her. Through the front view mirror she could see her dad open the door for her mom and then walk around to the other side before opening the door and slipping inside. Her dad slid the keys into the ignition, turned it and the car rumbled to life, Penny could feel the vibration of the engine in her seat. "Alrighty! Are we ready?" He asked excitedly looking back at her and Tommy, who was strapped into his car seat.
"Yep! Let's hit the road, dad!" Tommy said, giving him two thumbs up with his adorable little thumbs and Penny nodded, trying for an all optimistic smile, but her parents saw right through it and her mother reached out behind her and laid a hand on her knee, smiling reassuringly. "Penny, don't worry. Sherman will love the gift you got him."
Penny exhaled and nodded her thanks. "Alright! Let's go!" Her dad yelled, and for just a moment the whole Peterson family was screaming and shouting in excitement, especially Tommy and they were off.
But through the car ride, Penny could feel her anxiety creeping up on her and fill the pit of her stomach and it had only increased the closer they got to the Peabody's. She mentally fought with herself until she had exhausted the topic.
What if Sherman doesn't like his present?
He'll like it. Shut up, brain.
But how would you know you haven't given it to him yet?
I know Sherman. He'll love it. I think.
You think. Yeah, that sounds pretty convincing.
Suddenly, she was practically thrown against the car door as the car slid in the ice for a moment, but then resumed it's course. Her dad was yelling at a car that had just caused a near accident, but stopped when mom put her hand on his.
She popped her head back with a smile and a slightly shocked look on her face. "Are you two alright?" Penny nodded and Tommy gave his answer promptly, which has been a habit of his ever since he met Sherman and Mr. Peabody. Penny looked up at her parents and gave out a small chuckle. Her dad looked like he was trying to hold back a couple of choice words and her mom held onto his arm in case he forgot that there were kids present.
Penny probably would've have been more alarmed if things like this didn't happen to her in a daily basis. Usually because he was just forgetful or very clumsy.
But as the ride continued there were no further accidents and they made their way safely up the Peabody's long driveway and parked in front of the giant, modern house.
Her dad made his way out of the car and around to moms side to open her door and then Penny's for them and as Penny stepped out, weary not to slip on the cold ice, she could see that there were already many other cars parked in the driveway. But after all, this was Mr. Peabody's annual Christmas party and every year there was always a large amount of people. Penny knew with confidence, she would even bet money, that there were at least twenty people buzzing around in that house that she'd never met before. Maybe some she'd heard of; famous or renowned scientists, biologists, zoologists, and all the other -ists that Sherman could name off but she couldn't for the life of her.
She went to the other side of the car to get Tommy out while dad opened her mom's door. The little tyke was fast asleep of course, but Penny didn't mind waking him up. He was always so peaceful and quiet and sweet right after he woke up from a nap, so she unbuckled him, slid his arms out of the buckles and picked the little toddler up out of his seat. She felt him curl into her and bury his curly head in the fur coat mom had brought her. She didn't like the coat because it was so fancy and cost a good $100, but she had to admit, it was extremely soft and warm. She glanced down over his dark curls and looked at the icy ground to watch her step as she walked to where her parents were calling her, on the steps leading up to the house. She carefully made her way over to them, careful not to slip on all the ice and slush that had gathered on the snow-cleared, stone pathway. They made their way up at least forty stairs before they were standing outside the door, where from inside, Penny could hear the buzzing of people talking and moving. Her mother reached over for Tommy and carefully took him from Penny, straddled him on her hip and gently woke him. "Tommy. It's time to wake up. We're here, petite cheri."
Her mother often used French. It was a part of three day to day life because mamma grew up in France and didn't want her heritage to be lost on her children. So, Penny knew how to speak fluent French.
Tommy sat up groggily in mother's arms and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, before she set him down and he immediately attached himself to her by throwing his arms around her knees. Now that Tommy was awake and ready, dad stepped forward on the welcome mat and knocked thrice. Technically, we didn't have to knock; ever since the first time Penny and Sherman stole the waybac,( not that she was implying to having stolen it other times, at least none that she'd confess to, Penny thought,) the Petersons and Peabodys had been each others' closest friends. It had been twelve years since they had met, and they frequently visited the Peabodys. In fact it was rare that a week would go by without having visited. And if they weren't visiting the Peabodys, the Peabodys were visiting them. Even though they did have separate things away from eachother, Penny and Sherman spent most of their time together. Penny had been coming over to the Peabody's so often that it became an expected occurrence in their lives. Mr. Peabody had grown accustomed to seeing Penny at the house and had stated that they should invest in some things for her to keep at the house since she was there half the time anyways; a toothbrush for after every meal, he always had an extra set of clothes for her in case her and Sherman made a mess and ruined her clothes, and they always kept a box of her favorite pop tarts in the pantry. They were for Sherman, but Sherman had decided he didn't like them, so Penny tried them and by the end of the week they were gone and so now they were commonly kept in the pantry for Penny.
"We don't have to knock you know." Penny smirked up at her parents. Her mother gave her a reprimanding look and chastised her.
"Penny, knocking is the polite thing to do. We will always knock." She reprimanded.
"But I distinctly recall Mr. Peabody saying, and I quote, 'You're practically family. Barge in whenever you'd like and make yourselves at home.'" Penny said matter of factly, smiling up at her mother.
"I know, and they are like family, but manners will remain in check even with family, Penny." Her mother said, and before Penny could make a smart alec comment the door opened and Mr. Peabody was standing in the doorway in a tux and his signature red tie, grinning up at them.
"Paul! Patricia! Penny and Tommy!" He beamed, opening his arms wide as Tommy ran to tackle him with a hug. He embraced the little, curly-haired boy and when Tommy pulled away and ran back to mother, straitened his askew glasses promptly. "Well,!" He laughed, extending his arm to let them in. "Why didn't you just come in?"
Penny smirked, feeling her chest fill up with amusement and her mother did not miss the smart-alec/matter-of-fact look that Penny gave her, but behind the reprimanding look Penny received, she could see a hint of an amused smile playing on her mothers lips. They made there way in and as they hung there coats, Mr Peabody admired their attire before they, as a group, moved out into the central area of the house and into the massive crowd that Penny had known would be there; there had to have been at least somewhere around a hundred people in the living room and dining room alone. She could see people ranging from her grandparents age to Tommy's age talking, acquainting themselves with appetizers that were being served on gold platters, playing, and moving about. The room was beautifully decorated with poinsettias on every table and dark, crimson-red drapes decorated the windows (and there were many windows), Christmas lights were strung outside on the patio where Penny could see more people still. It looked like a winter wonderland, but without a doubt, Penny loved the tree the most; it towered above everything else, probably twenty feet tall and fit just perfectly in the house with their super tall ceilings, it was decorated with gold, silver and red ornaments, sparkling tinsel, and popcorn strung in the branches. She'd always thought that their house looked sort of empty with all of the extremely tall ceiling, but the tree filled that space perfectly.
"Penny!" Mr. Peabody's cheery voice broke her out of her silent reverie, as he looked merrily up at her. "Why so shocked? You see it every year. It's only a new Christmas tree."
Penny laughed lightheartedly. "It's got to be at least twenty feet tall! It's beautiful!" She beamed, admiring the Christmas tree as she looked over every ornament, all of the lights that hung in the tree and the lights that were draped on the ceiling around it. "How did you guys even do all of this, with just the two of you?"
He smiled smugly up at her and asked, "Do you even have to ask?"
She knew he was right; in the twelve years that she's known them, she has known with 100% assurance that they were Christmas obsessed. Normally though, she wouldn't be as shocked by the amount of decoration, but she had come over a couple days ago and none of there decorations were up. They must've done this within the past three days that she wasn't here for. Which was sort of a bummer for Penny, because normally after her family and her would finish putting up all of their Christmas stuff, she would rush over here to help, but they had it all set up. She looked back down at Mr. Peabody and smiled knowingly."You're right. I shouldn't be surprised. I bet you and Sherman stayed up all night to get this accomplished."
"The past three nights, actually." He grinned. Then, looking up at her parents, asked, "Paul, Patrica. Why doesn't Tommy go play with the other kids and I can pour us some Chateau Margaux?" Penny assumed that that was the wine he had invented last summer that mom and dad had loved, as they agreed and set Tommy down. As they walked away, Tommy, who was normally shy at the beginnings of these kind of parties, clung to her instead. She looked down at him and ruffled his dark curls, before taking his hand in hers and saying, "Come on, Tommy. Let's go see if we can find Alicio."
Alicio Barnedof was one of Tommy's friends around the same age, just a couples months older, she thought. He was a fair haired little boy, with porcelain skin and bright blue eyes and Tommy and him were the closest of friends. As she looked for the Barnedofs, she also kept an eye out for Sherman's fiery red hair, but couldn't find him. However, to her satisfaction, she found the Barnedofs not far into her search, unfortunately, they were talking with another family; a married couple and their daughter, whom Penny recognized as Kelly Sloane; she was tan, with dark auburn hair, lips painted with dark purple lipstick, heavily lashed eyes, and a disgusted expression on her face.
Penny thought for a moment about pretending she didn't see them and to go looking for one of Tommy's other friends, but the moment she went to turn around, sweet little Alicio saw Tommy across the room and yelled out his name, running towards him with alarming speed.
Well, there goes that plan, Penny thought right before Alicio collided with Tommy and knocked him off of his feet. They rolled around for a minute, laughing as they hugged/wrestled eachother, before getting up. When they were up and steady, Alicio seemed to recognize Penny and, smiling up at her with an adorably, melting smile, he threw his arms around her in a bare hug, making her heart melt, as she threw her arms around the little guy. He was couple inches taller than Tommy, so she still had to crouch down, but it was easier to hug him. When she released him, she hesitantly looked over in the direction of the Sloanes and Barnedofs in the hopes that they will have just kept talking and she could slip away, but when she looked over she was greeted by all of them staring at her. Mr. and Mrs. Barnedof, who were both fair haired, like Alicio, were smiling fondly at her, but Kelly Sloane's vibrant blue eyes burned with hatred and annoyance. Penny was taken aback though by the fact that Mrs. Sloane was staring at her with contempt and annoyance too. She, feeling obligated now to go and socialize, thought briefly over what her mother would do before walking towards them with a kind smile, and a polite greeting.
"Mr. and Mrs. Barnedof! It's so lovely to see you both!" She was fond of the Barnedofs having babysat their kids multiple times and many family dinners having been shared between her family and theirs, and so she hugged them both warmly, before turning to the Sloanes. "Hi, Kelly! It's been a while. I'm so glad you're here." She attempted, smiling at Kelly, who for some reason always hated her. A completely artificial smile graced Kelly's face as she brought Penny in for a not so warm hug, and pulling away, she said, "Yes. It has been a while. I hope your parents are in good health."
Penny tried for a smile, unsure whether she should take that as a friendly concern or a threat."Yes. They are in very good health. Thank you for asking." And seeing an opportunity to get one step closer to getting out of this situation, she took it. "And, speaking of parents, How are you Mr. and Mrs. Sloane. " She said smoothly, before gracefully turning to Mr. and Mrs. Sloane. "I haven't seen you in a while." She offered, going in for the most awkward hug of her life. Mrs. Sloane was not only not much of a hugger, but Penny was also convinced that she hated her. However, Mr. Sloane and Penny had always shared the same sense of humor, so they got along fine.
"Penelope Peterson, it's been a while, dear. How is school?" Mrs. Sloane sniffed after she pulled away from their extremely awkward hug, taking a sip of the red wine that she held in her hand. The resemblance between her and Kelly was uncanny and had always kind of creeped her out.
"It's just Penny." She offered, lightheartedly before continuing. "School is going very well. I'm acing all of my language classes, and I've only received a couple B's in math." She answered, modestly. Thankful for the change of subject.
"What about Science and Geometry? Last time I saw you, you were failing both of them. You really must study more, Penelope. Classes get harder after you become a senior." Mrs. Sloane said smoothly, still using her full name. Looking over at the Barnedof she almost had the urge to laugh at how obviously uncomfortable this situation was and if it wasn't obvious enough, the disturbed and uncomfortable expressions etched across the Barnedofs faces was proof enough.
"Um-i'm already a senior. I'm seventeen, Mrs. Sloane." She answered, trying to remain sweet and keep her temper under control.
"Well, how come I haven't seen you in a while? You never come over to visit Kelly anymore. I'm beginning to wonder whether you can really call yourself her friend?" She took another sip of her red wine, leaving a bit of her dark red lipstick on the glass.
Penny had forgotten how unsubtle her insults were and took a breath to regain some self-control. She looked around for Sherman hopefully, but couldn't find him and was about to say something when Kelly decided to speak up.
"Yes, mother. Penny and I are good friends. We face-time. Daily." Kelly interjected, must having seen the confused, uncomfortable looks on the Barnedofs' faces, and slung an arm over Penny's shoulders, making her flinch.
Penny looked up at her for a moment like she'd gone mad, but one squeeze from Kelly and Penny knew that she wanted her to play along. For a moment, her anger spiked at the idea that Kelly thought she was going to pretend they were friends for her sake, but from across the room, behind the Barnedofs, Penny could see her mother who had, evidently noticed the situation she was in and the flare of anger in Penny's eyes and gave her a warning look that clearly said, do not make a scene.
For mother's sake. She thought and forced a laugh, that came out sounding more like a strangled cat. "Yep. Close friends. That's us." She said awkwardly and playfully punched Kelly's arm, which she immediately regretted.
Kelly gasped in surprise by the playful punch and squeezed her so tight it hurt, laughing and playing it off, saying, "Yep! I just love this girl." Kelly had squeezed her so tightly that when Kelly, who had a good five inches on Penny, put her down, she could hear her heels touch ground again.
Penny decided that she couldn't stand any more Kelly Sloane at the moment and was about to make her exit, when Kelly's brother, Gage, walked over and stepped in between them, slinging one arm over Kelly's shoulder and the other over hers. Immediately, Penny felt more at ease; when Penny was about ten, her dad hired Mr. Sloane as the new manager over one of the company buildings, so they had dinners every few weeks and while Penny never got along with Kelly, her and Gage had become instant friends and had been ever since.
She felt her body relax and some of the anger that was in her chest fall away, smiling up at Gage; in almost every way he resembled his mother, same dark brown hair, his was slightly messy but was styled in a sort of suave tonight and he had the same tan skin. But instead of his mother's icy blue eyes, he got his fathers dark, chocolate brown ones. He wore a slim, black tux with a red tie that looked very suiting on him.
"Hey family!" He said, ruffling Kelly's hair, much to her displeasure but much to Penny's amusement. Kelly sneered at her brother before ducking out from under his arm and storming off to go find a bathroom. Gage's deep laughter mixed with Penny's, Mr. Sloanes', and the Barnedofs, as they watched her run off. It was all in good fun, she thought, but noticed that Mrs. Sloane wasn't laughing.
"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come or not." His mother seethed, giving him a reprimanding look for being late.
He gave her an apologetic look and let his hand fall from Penny's shoulders to stand up strait and look his mother in the eye. "I said I would come and I wouldn't lie to you, mother." He smiled, stepping forward and kissing her cheek and it made her heart happy to see for a moment a bright smile play on Mrs. Sloanes lips.
Gage turned back to Penny and she smiled up at him, before giving him a hug, which he returned. When she pulled back she put a mock scrutinizing expression on and looked him over. "You look very dashing, Gage." She complimented, waggling her eyebrows jokingly.
He bowed dramatically. "Thank you! And you, my lady!"
She laughed at his antics, before swatting his arm as a way to get him to come out of his bow. He straitened up, grinning, and then said, quieter so no one could hear him, "I have something to tell you."
She looked back at the Sloanes and Barnedofs, who as she could see now had resumed talking and so she hooked her arm in Gage's and led him through the crowds until they were standing in front of the patio door. There were little hand prints from little kids passing by in the fog that covered the glass of it.
"Outside?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in exasperation. "It's freezing outside. I just got back in from outside."
"Oh come on! It's just a few minutes, you big wimp." She jested, opening the sliding door and shoving him outside. She closed the door and now that it was considerably more quiet, bid Gage go on with whatever it was he was going to tell her.
"I met a girl." He said, twiddling his thumbs like he did when he got jittery.
"AHA!" She laughed, pointing a finger at him. "How long did you think you could keep this from me? I already guessed it."
His eyebrows furrowed as he examined her face to tell if she was lying or not. "How did you already know? Did Kelly tell you?"
She was taken aback for a moment, raising her eyebrows at him in disbelief. "Did you tell Kelly before you told me?!"
He raised his hands in and put them in front of him in defense. "No! She may have stumbled upon me and Isabelle on the front porch, kissing."
"Isabelle! Ooooh!" She teased, raising her eyebrows. "And you were kissing on the front porch?!"
He blushed, but smiled sweetly. "We were just saying goodbye! Enough about me. How long have you known?"
She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips, sassily. "Really? You think that you can act strangely different for weeks and I won't notice. So, how long have you been dating her? Two weeks? Three weeks?" She asked, reading his facial expression to see if she was getting any closer. She felt her eyes get wider. "Four weeks? Five weeks? I swear, if you have been dating this girl for more than five weeks and didn't tell me, I am going to kill you!"
He put his hands up and raised his eyebrows in defense. "Calm down. You have to promise not to freak out. I had my reasons for not telling anyone."
She raised an eyebrow, "What reasons?"
"In case it didn't work out. That's all." He answered, lowing his hands slightly.
"That's 'reason', not 'reasons'" She corrected, smart- alecly.
"Yeah, yeah. You have to promise." He repeated, bringing his hands back up.
"Fine." She huffed, dropping her hands from her hips. "How long?"
"A month." He said, letting his hands down too and watching her expression.
"A month?!" She raged, throwing her hands up. "You kept this information from me for a whole month?"
"Yes! But can you just be happy for me?!" He yelled, mock-angrily, whilst trying not to laugh at her reaction.
She couldn't help the smirk that crept onto her face, and couldn't think of anything to say that would wipe that smile of his face. "Yes. I am happy for you." She answered honestly, smiling up at him.
He smiled, relieved. "Whew. I'm glad you know. You're the first person who knows-"
She opened her mouth to correct him, because Kelly knew before she did, but he beat her to it.
"You're the first person I've told." He chuckled. "So, where's your boyfriend?"
She sighed. "I don't know. I've been here for about fifteen minutes, but there's so many people in there that I can't find him." She said, shrugging her shoulders, and made her way towards the sliding door, rubbing her arms.
"Even with the red hair?" He joked, walking behind her.
"Yes. Even with the red hair." She said, throwing him a look, but looking over her shoulder threw her off, causing her to slip on the icy patio and fall face first towards the ground. She waited for the impact, but it took her a moment to realize that she hadn't hit the floor. Gage had caught her, grabbing onto her left arm before she hit the ground. She straitened herself, and regained her balance. "Thanks, Gage."
He laughed. "You should really not be walking around in high heels. Those things are a danger hazard and your clumsy enough by yourself." He winced as she punched him in the shoulder and they made their way back inside.
"Hey, since you're taller, tell me if you see Sherman, ok?" She said, as they worked their way through the crowd to where she knew the fireplace was.
He nodded, already keeping an eye out for his friend, "Yeah. I got it." When they finally made it to the fireplace they plopped down in front of it and stuck their hands as close as they could get to it without lighting themselves on fire. "How many people do you figure are here this year?"
"Well, every time that I turn the corner theres just more people. So, I don't know. I first thought around a hundred, but it might be more like two hundred this year." She laughed. "So, do your parents know about Isabelle?" She asked, turning more towards him. She would go look for Sherman when she warmed up a little and now that Gage was here, he could help her.
"Yeah. I asked her parents permission to date her and then told mom and dad the first time that we went out." He answered, flipping his hands over so that the front of his palms would warm up.
"That's awesome, Gage! Man, the world needs more guys like that. I know so few guys who are brave and respectful enough to ask the parents permission." She told him honestly. "You're a good guy."
He smiled at her, blushing at the compliment. "Thanks." He knew that she didn't say things unless she meant it, so he knew she was being honest.
"So, did you invite Isabelle tonight?" She asked, smirking up at him and causing his blush to deepen.
"Yes. I did. She should be here soon." He answered, a grin spreading across his face. He got up and extended his hand to her. "Come on. Let's go look for Sherman. I want him to know before she gets here." She took his hand and he helped her up. Sherman and Gage had been close friends ever since Penny had introduced them. Sherman was all over science, geometry, bio-chem, engineering, and Gage was really into science and engineering, so they always had something to work on.
They made their way over to the stairs, through the mass of people, getting elbowed and bumped some of the way and occasionally someone would stop them to talk, or say how much they'd grown since last Christmas. When they finally made it to the stairs, Penny was feeling slightly claustrophobic and completely jostled. They walked all the way up the exceedingly tall staircase until they were at the top standing on the stair balcony looking down at all of the people in the dining room and living room. They couldn't see the kitchen, the parlor, the family room, the main entrance, or the patio, but at least if Sherman was in the living or dining room they'd see his messy, red-ginger hair and know it was him. Penny's eyes thoroughly searched the room, looking for his crazy hair, or his round rimmed glasses, or the way he constantly runs his hand through his hair, or maybe just his laughter, but she couldn't hear anything specifically, just voices that were blending together in such a way that it just sounded buzzing.
"Hey, i'm going to go look in the rooms. Keep an eye out for him out here?" Gage asked, heading in the direction of the hallway.
"Yeah! I got it. Just tell me if you find him back there." She said, waving her hand in acceptance and sending him on his way with his promise that he'd tell her if he found Sherman.
She wondered if maybe he went out to grab something before the party and just hasn't gotten back yet. It's probably been at least forty minutes since she got here and normally he would seek her out and find her almost immediately. The anxiety she'd been feeling all day grew in the pit of her stomach once again as she considered the irrational thought that something might've happened to him.
What if he had to go grab something for Mr. Peabody and started speeding in his haste and got pulled over? What if he was sitting in jail waiting for his one phone call so that somebody would come and bail him out? What if he'd slid on the icy roads and gotten into a car accident?, Penny thought. No. You're just being paranoid. I'm sure he's fine and just somewhere in this giant house listening to someone talk his ear off.
She leaned out over the rail a little to see farther out and under the stair well, when she felt two large hands slip around her waist and warm breath on her neck, making her gasp. "Who are you looking for?"
She smirked and placed her hands over the ones on her waist, knowing exactly who's hands they were, relief spreading through her. He kissed her cheek tenderly and she reached up behind her, running a hand through his crazy, ginger hair. "You know exactly who I was looking for. Where have you been?"
She could feel the vibrations of his deep chuckle reverberate in his chest, against her back. "I just finished getting dressed."
She raised an eyebrow and turned around to look at him, his hands hesitantly slipping from her waist. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked him up and down; his ginger-red hair was styled in a suave fashion, he wore a slimming, black tux that she'd never seen on him before, so it must be new, and, chuckling as she noticed, socked feet. No shoes.
"You are so very handsome." She smiled, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug, she felt his arms wrap around her and lift her off the floor, making her giggle. He set her gently back down on the floor, and, placing his hands back on her waist, bent down and kissed her forehead, tenderly. They had decided that until they were married that they weren't going to kiss on the lips, but in no way were they less in love with eachother because of that decision. They had known last summer that they wanted to get married, they were just waiting for the right time. For starters, Penny was graduating High school this year, so they didn't want to get married before then. Sherman didn't have to worry about college; he was already in college at the age of thirteen and was graduating at the end of this year too. He could have stopped college and graduated with his masters degree last year, but he wanted to try for a doctorates degree just to get it out of the way.
His lingering kiss on her forehead left her knees weak and when he pulled away he moved his hands from her waist and took her hands in his, looking into her eyes intently. "You look absolutely beautiful!"
She chuckled, looking down at their feet to try to conceal the blush that was rising on her cheeks. She heard him chuckle and playfully hit his shoulder, unable to stop the smile that had spread across her face. "Thank you."
From below them, someone yelled, "Hey! Love birds, are you coming down or what?" The voice had cut through the buzz like a knife and the majority of the crowd was now staring at them. Some looked disapprovingly, some looked smug, others looked mushy, a couple even looked jealous, which made Penny even more ticked off than she already was.
Penny turned around with a cold glare on her face, but it multiplied when she realized it was Gage. She sent him a glare so cold, Sherman wouldn't have been shocked if he turned to ice. "Gage Nathaniel Sloane! Do not make me tell everyone what they'd all like to know!" She threatened, making a good portion of the crowd in the room roar with laughter, and Penny couldn't help but feel a little smug when Gage's face grew suddenly pale and he glared back at her, making her chuckle satisfactorily.
She turned back around to Sherman who both looked amused and sympathetic for his friend. "Did he tell you?"
Sherman nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah. Isabelle Patrik. It's great! Iv'e just been waiting." He laughed, slipping his hand back into hers. "Do you want to go back to my room or the game room and hang out."
She sighed longingly, but looked back at all the people. "It might only make it worse. They might think we're not just talking." She answered honestly.
He looked confused for a fracture of a second before realization dawned on his face and he blushed scarlet. "Oh. Right." He said, smiling abashedly at her, before squeezing her hand reassuringly.
He extended his free hand out in front of him motioning for her to go first down the stairs, still linked by their hands. She stepped onto the first step, but as soon as she went to put the other foot on the stair, she felt her ankle give out under the weight and nearly fell head first down the stairs, ignoring the collective gasps of onlookers, but Sherman caught her and set her down on the step. "Are you ok?" He asked, looking her over once and then gingerly examining her ankle. He sighed in relief, already having determined that it wasn't broken or sprained, but kept a weary eye on her. "Are you in any pain?"
"No. I'm fine." She answered, in a sort of daze. She wasn't shocked by the fact that she almost fell, because it was extremely frequent in her life. She was simply surprised by how quickly Sherman had noticed she was falling and caught her. It was like she didn't even have a chance to be afraid, because as soon as she was falling he had already caught her.
Sherman nodded his head and stared at her porcelain feet. "You should not be wearing these death traps of shoes." He said, and proceeded to take them off of her feet gently, tossing them critically and carelessly over his shoulder and onto the floor behind them. "Do you want socks?"
She laughed at his question, because she knew that he knew that she hated to walk around barefoot because her feet always got dirty and cold. She knew that he was really asking if he could leave her for a second to go get her some socks. "Yes, of course." She laughed, at his antics. He wasn't normally this paranoid, but every once in a while when Penny would almost fall down something really tall or break a bone, he would go into what Gage called Granny-Sherman mode. Gages' overprotective Grandma Cheryl inspired this nickname.
Sherman smiled, told her he'd be right back and ran to his room, coming back in a matter of seconds with her favorite pair of his socks; they were dark blue, spun wool socks and they were extraordinarily soft. He helped her put them on, and even though she protested that she could do it by herself, she definitely didn't mind. Grasping her hands in his, he helped her up and chuckled.
"What?" She asked, expectantly. When he didn't answer, she tried again, more demandingly. "What?"
"You are so clumsy. You will be the death of me." He jested smiling at her.
"Well, actually, if i'm so clumsy then I will be the death of me, not of you." She said, smart-alec-ly, making him toss her an irritated but amused look.
"You're wrong, but it's ok." He teased, smiling fondly at her. "Hold onto the railing." He ordered, one hand on her waist and the other clasped in hers.
"I don't need to hold onto the railing. I'm not that clumsy." She protested defiantly, even though she knew she was in fact that clumsy.
"Please, hold onto the railing." He repeated with a slight smirk of an undertone, which she couldn't say no to, so she placed her hand on the railing with a huff, though she wasn't really upset.
They made it to the bottom with no further incident, but were both surprised and abashed by the amount of people that were at the bottom of the stairs waiting for them and staring at them. Penny squirmed visibly under their stares, her hand tightening around Sherman's unconsciously. He looked down at her, noticing her grip on his hand tighten and felt her body squirm next to him. She was definitely uncomfortable. He searched for Gage in the crowd and found him in the corner, watching them with a much amused expression, sipping on some sparkling cider. Sherman gave him a look that clearly said, please stop enjoying this so much, and help us.
Gage's face broke out in a smile and he jumped up onto the fireplace ledge until he could see over all of the heads that made up the crowd. "Well! I say we break out the parlor games!"
From across the room Mr. Peabody was heard, saying, "How right you are, my dear boy! Williams, would you assist me in getting the parlor games out of the upstairs closet? Thank you."
Sherman smiled, and took the distraction they had provided as an out, guiding Penny away from the stair well and disappearing into the crowd. They made their way slowly through the crowd, avoiding conversation best they could until they stood in the kitchen, where only about twenty people were right now sampling the appetizers and mini deserts Sherman and Mr. Peabody had cooked up earlier that day.
Sherman pulled Penny closer to him as they made there way though the kitchen. He had the perfect place that they could retreat to, but just before they were out of the kitchen, Walter Jameson bid them come over and meet his family. Walter was an accociate of Sherman's dad. They had had him over for dinner a couple times, but had never met his family.
He clenched his jaw in frustration, but hid it well, squeezing Penny's hand in his and walked over to Walter and his family.
"Hey, Walter, good evening! I'm glad you could make it!" He greeted, as they came to a stop in front of the small group.
Walter was a short stout man of forty-five, with thinning light brown hair and brown beedy eyes.
"Yes, yes. Me too, my lad." Walter agreed, clapping Sherman on the shoulder. He had moved to America from England, so he had a British accent. He backed up and extended his hand towards his family, where stood a woman, presumably his wife, and two kids, both boys. "Have you met my family before, Sherman?"
"No, sir. I don't believe I've had the pleasure." He answered, smiling at the young boys. Both had Walters light brown hair and rosy complexion.
"Well!, this is my wife, Marisa." He introduced, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Darling, this is Mr. Peabody's boy, Sherman."
She nodded and shook his extended hand politely. "And these are our two boys, William and Geofferey, after my great-great grandfather, of course. He was a great man." He said proudly, placing his hand on his chest and staring out into the distance with a smile for a minute, before Sherman had decided things had gotten too quiet.
"Um- this is Penny Peterson. Paul and Patricia Petersons' eldest. My girlfriend." He introduced, looking down at Penny. His heart swelled with love and admiration and when she looked back up at him, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of her crystal blue eyes.
"It's nice to meet you, Penny!" Mrs. Jameson said, in the same accent, shaking Pennys' hand. "You know your father and I went to the same school as kids. We used to be very good friends."
Penny nodded, before facing the two younger boys. "So how old are you two?"
The taller one tore his eyes from the ground to look up at Penny and mumbled, "Twelve." But he was too quiet the first time and Penny asked him to repeat it.
"And you?" Penny inquired of the younger one.
He smiled brightly up at her, his eyes lighting up his rosy face. "I'm eight years old. I just turned eight, only just a couple days ago." The little boys' accent was a little less noticable, but still there.
"Wow! I bet you had a great birthday!" Penny cheered, smiling brightly down at him.
"It was the greatest birthday!" He beamed, telling them of the presents he received, the family and friends that visited. "You didn't ask, so I thought I'd tell you. I'm Geoffrey and my older brother here is William." He said, slapping William on the back kindly.
"Thank you! It was very nice to meet you all!" She said, shaking each of the boys hands.
"Yes, yes! You too, Penny! We shall converse later, Sherman!" Walter cheered, waving them goodbye, as they moved towards the appetizers.
Sherman glanced down and Penny, laughing.
"They seem nice!" She said, with a smile, rubbing her hands together. He took her cold hands in his and held them to warm her up a little.
He nodded in agreement, before resuming their course, through the crowd. When they had made it out of sea of people in the kicthen, stumbling out into the mud room, Sherman opened a small, green door on the far wall, revealing coats upon coats. Penny laughed as he opened it and bowed for her to go in. She walked into the closet confusedly, but found that the closet didn't have a wall in the back of it like she'd assumed. She parted the coats in front of her, and, ducking under them, made her way down what looked like a hallway; dark wood ones the floor and the walls were a simple white, but it wasn't very light. Behind, her she could hear Sherman shutting the door to the closet, though she couldn't see him through the coats.
"Where does this lead?" She asked excitedly, glancing back at Sherman who was making his way through he many coats.
"It's like a central point for all of the secret passageways that my dad had installed when he built the place." He said, grabbing her hand. "Come on. I'll show you."
They took off running down the hall, making Penny giggle. They didn't have to worry about anyone hearing them, as it was so loud in the house with all of the people that no one would.
They came to a stop, Penny could see the end a hallway a ways ahead of her, but the walls of the hallway, all the way down, were lined with doors of all different shapes and sizes.
"Pick a door." Sherman said, grinning down at her excited face. She stepped forward, looking at both sides and had passed four doors before he stopped at one on the left side; it was a light gray-blue and had exquisite carvings all around the frame. The handle was an old diamond and squeaked wen she turned it. She pulled the door open to reveal another hallway, darker and completely carpeted, from ceiling to floor, with black carpet. He stepped inside, Sherman closing the door behind him.
"Do all of the passages look like this?"
"We were going to have one that was completely made out of stone, but the constructors we were working with said that the house around it couldn't support it. Naturally, dad wouldn't give up that easily, so he invited a few different constructors to the party tonight to see if any of them were up for it." Sherman said, as they walked further into the tunnel. "But no, there are some passages that are different."
She stopped in front of a metal, ornate air vent. It was fake of course, but it gave whoever was in the tunnel audio and visual. She peeked out of it and saw a different angle of the living room, where Mr. Peabody was hosting a game of reverse charades.
There was sudden applause and Mr. Peabody took a bow. "Thank you! Thank you! Who wants to go next?" He asked, pointing at people. "Harry? No. How about you, Marisa? No? Where's Sherman? He loves this game!"
Penny laughed. "Should we go back?"
"Sherman!" Mr. Peabody called and from across the room Gage could be seen chuckling. This just made everything look more compromising. Maybe we should've just stayed down there, Sherman thought.
"Yeah. We probably should. People will get suspicious." He said, taking Penny's hand in his and running back down the hall and down the black carpeted stairs. When they were back in the hall of doors he turned left, further down into the hall.
"I thought the way out was right!" Penny said, pointing back behind them.
"This ways funner!" He laughed as he pulled her along behind him, coming to a stop in front of a bright red door that had a shiny, gold handle. He opened it and revealed a metal shoot, that Penny couldn't see the end of. "Ready?"
She raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Alright." He pulled her next to to him and jumped down into the metal shoot. Penny's stomach dropped as she did, strait down and couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips. Beside her, Sherman was laughing and she had the urge to hit his shoulder, but was too busy holding his hand with one hand and trying to keep her dress down with the other. The shaft changed courses, so that instead of stair down they were sliding down on the shoot like a slide. In front of her, Penny could see the end, but it was like a metal trapdoor. They were definitely going to break something.
She had a mild panic attack the moment before they hit it, squeezing Sherman's arm tight, and the door opened and they flew out landing on a soft, springy bed. Penny had landed flat on her back while Sherman had landed sitting up, laughing his head off.
She scrambled to make sure her dress wasn't up and exposing her underwear, sitting up and brushing the velvet dress down. "What was that?"
Sherman laughed harder. "That was the metal slide that leads to my dads room." He announced, spreading his arms open to showcase the room. They had landed on a white duvet covered bed that had a million pillows on it. It was Mr. Peabodys room.
"How come I've never known about these tunnels before?" She asked, still trying to regain her breath and looking slightly flushed.
"We just finished putting them in and dad didn't want me to tell you yet, cause he isn't want you getting lost up there and then accidentally falling down one of the staircases or shoots." He laughed at the exasperated look that took over her face, but grabbed her hand and pulled her over to kiss her cheek. "Quick. We should go rejoin the party before someone finds us here. It would look way worse than it actually is."
Penny chuckled at the idea, and accepted his other hand as he helped her off the bed. They made their way out of Mr. Peabodys' room, down the hall and into the dining room, where many of the party was still playing parlor games. Luckily, they came in almost unnoticed, excepting Gage and unfortunately Kelly.
She made her way over to them and in one swift motion threw her arms around Sherman and nearly knocked me over. Penny felt someone catch her and knew it was Gage as she had seen him making his way over the moment he saw Kelly coming over. Once she was steadied he looked down at her and raised his eyebrows knowingly. "Here we go." He muttered under his breath.
Kelly had just pulled away from a very uncomfortable looking Sherman and was now hanging onto his shoulder. Sherman want impolite enough to shrug her off, but it was obvious that he didn't want her hanging onto him.
He looked behind him for Penny, who had gotten shoved aside by Kelly. He was surprised that she wasn't on the ground and then realized that Gage, who was standing next to her, must've caught her.
"So, Sherman. I hear that you're graduating this year?" Kelly slurred, extended her neck towards him. He pulled away ever so slightly and used his chance to change the situation.
"Yes. I am. And actually, so is my girlfriend, Penny." He said, smoothly, extending his hand behind him for Penny to take. She slipped her hand inside of his and let him guide her until she was standing next to him, still holding hands. Penny felt the urge to reach over and slap her hands off of Sherman, but his hand on hers was enough to keep her grounded.
Kelly was obviously ticked off and not trying hard to hide it. She sneered at Penny before turning back to Sherman and saying, sweetly, "You'll invite me to your graduation party, of course. Now you'll have to excuse me. I have people talk to."
She sent Penny one more glare before slipping her arms out of Sherman's and walking away, swaying her hips.
Penny mentally screamed since she thought it would definitely be unacceptable if she'd done it aloud, as much as she may want to.
Sherman squeezed her hand and kissed he top of her head reassuringly. She smiled, leaning against him and could've fallen asleep like this, but apparently now was not the time. In front of her, she heard a femenine voice come over and loudly say, "Penelope!, et Sherman avec vous!"
She forced her eyes open to greet the woman; it was her Aunt Chante. She was a distant relative that was also from France, so she mostly spoke only French, although she knew English.
"Aunt Chante! Salut!" She greeted in French, letting go of Sherman to hug her aunt. "How have you been?"
"Tres bien, mon cher!" Her aunt continued in French and would've kept talking if Penny hadn't stopped her.
"Anglais, Aunt Chante. S'il vous plait?" She asked in French, smiling sweetly up at her aunt, who had at least four inches on her and still, was wearing heels.
Her aunt sighed, "Fine. I weel speak Eenglish just for you, mom cher." She said, pulling Penny in for another hug. "How 'ave you been? You look radiant!"
"I've been well! And thank you! And you look so beautiful!" She said, stepping back, still clapping her aunts hands in hers. Her aunt wore a crimson red mermaid dress, without straps, red lipstick and had her fine blonde hair pulled up high into a messy bun. Her aunt was always a very bold person, so her loud outfit flattered and suited her well.
"Merci, Penny! Ah!," she exclaimed, motioning to Sherman. "And this ees your boyfriend, Sherman. I remember!"
Sherman stepped forward and she pulled him in for a hug. She hadn't seen Sherman or Penny in two years. She usually came out for the party and stayed with the Petersons til New Years every Christmas, but last year her husband, Penny's Uncle Stephen, had passed away. Penny's mother had immediately offered for Aunt Chante to come and stay with them, but she had turned them down.
She pulled away, smiling and holding Sherman at arms length. "You 'ave grown zo much." She said, her French accent showing true. "You are taller and you 'ave muscles now."
Penny blushed, staring at her feet, but she could feel Sherman's eyes on her. She glanced up at Sherman abashedly, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, and saw the impish look he was sending her, a sexy smirk playing in his lips.
"You really found yourself a catch, didn't you, Penelope? When are you going to start giving me some kiddos?" Her Aunt waggled her eyebrows at her. Her words making Penny blush red, and her eyes pop out oft heir sockets.
"Aunt Chante, we aren't married yet." She explained, feeling the tips of hers ears burning and trying not to look at Sherman, who no doubt had some idea of what was going on, even though he didn't speak French.
"Well, your uncle and I were unmarried when we had your cousin Silvia." She admitted carelessly, Penny's mouth hung open slightly. "You are attracted to him, aren't you?"
Penny couldn't take it anymore. She was sure her face was as red as a tomato and Sherman definitely knew, if he hadn't already guessed, that something was going on, looking on the edge of concern and confused amusement.
Penny cleared her throat, deciding that her overheated body definitely needed to cool down. "I think I need a drink." She swallowed and started walking in the direction of the kitchen, when Sherman caught her arm, making her jump.
"You ok?" He asked concernedly, taking her other hand in his.
She felt a wave of heat pass over her at ha touch and knew she wouldn't have been so jumpy if her aunt had not just asked the questions she did. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just need a drink. I'll be right back."
And without further explanation, she slipped out of his grip, feeling like she was on fire and struggled through the crowd into the kitchen, that much to her comfort, was nearly empty, excepting a few people. She made a b-line for the counter where there was glasses of champagne and empty glasses. She really felt like she could use some champagne, but knew that it would only make things worse. So she grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water, downing it in one and then refilling it.
She set the glass down after she'd finished and shutter eyes for a minute. Sherman was probably really worried about her, but after what her aunt had said, even being around him was making her burn up. She'd just catch her breath and then go back.
She closed her eyes and leaned up against the counter, so thankful that she wasn't wearing those high heels.
"Penny?" She opened her eyes and straitened up. Sherman stood in front of her, with a concerned look in his eyes, and his brow furrowed. He stepped closer and cupped her face in his hand.
She gasped quietly, but then felt relief flood through her at his touch and closed her eyes again. "What did she say to you?"
She sighed, knowing she should tell him even if it would make them both uncomfortable. "She-sh-she wanted to know when we were going t-to have- to have-"
Sherman seemed to get it, but his reaction wasn't what she thought it would be. She looked up at him when he realized he was chuckling, her mouth dropped open slightly.
"You're not mad or uncomfortable or anything?" She asked, waving her hands about her.
Sherman looked down at her, worry and love in his eyes. "Of course not. I mean maybe a little uncomfortable, but not by you. There will be a time for kids and I do want kids. I want to date you, I want want to marry you and I want kids with you, because I love you."
Penny looked up at him, her eyes watering involuntarily an threw her arms around his neck in a full embrace and let out a shaky laugh. "That was so awkward."
She felt his arms wrap around her and run circles on her back, soothingly. and she could feel him laughing. "Come on. We'd better go out there or Gage will start causing trouble."
She pulled away reluctantly and let him guide her out of the kitchen, and back into the parlor.
Hey guys! Sorry for the long chapter. :D I guess I got carried away with myself. I hope you enjoyed it! Heck, I hope you made it through the whole chapter. XD
Will hopefully be updating within the next three weeks.
Next chapter:
Sherman and Penny get to meet Isobel, Gage's girlfriend, but Gage may regret bringing her.
An unwelcome guest shows up at the party, causing Penny and Sherman a lot of trouble. May include time travel... *wink wink