DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Big Bang Theory. I just love the characters.
Howard returned to the Leonard and Penny's house to discover that the party had finished early. With only a handful of guests mingling outside on the terrace and by the swimming pool, the caterers were busily clearing up. Aside from Amy who was trying to prize Sheldon away from the Dolorean, Howard found his friends gathered in the kitchen eating leftover birthday cake.
"Where's Raj?" he asked.
"In there. He passed out." Penny answered, nodding in the direction of the lounge from where Howard could hear snoring. "He is going to have one hell of a hangover come tomorrow." she added speaking with a mouthful of cake.
Taking a seat at the kitchen table beside his wife who had come to the party dressed as Cyndi Lauper, Howard helped himself to a slice of cake.
"So? What happened?" Leonard enquired.
"Nothing. When I got there Anna wasn't home." Howard shrugged.
"Well, I'm gonna call Jake and find out what was so important that she decided not to show up to one of my best friend's birthday party." an infuriated Penny said. With her cell phone in her hand, she was already scrolling through her contacts when Bernadette raised her hand.
"Hang on Penny," she interrupted before turning toward her husband who was hunched over his plate, seemingly in an attempt to avoid eye contact. "There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?" she said, suspiciously.
With a defeated sigh, Howard set down his fork and pushed away his plate. "Like I said when I got to the Anna's apartment she wasn't home, but I did meet her neighbour," he began, "She said that Anna has gone away."
"Gone where?" Penny questioned.
"She didn't know, but.." Howard started and then hesitated for a beat, "She told me that she was concerned about her, she thinks that Anna might be pregnant."
A stunned silence descended upon the friends.
"We should tell Raj." Penny concluded, getting to her feet.
"You can't," Howard said, sounding panicked. "What I mean is it's not that simple. Anna can't be pregnant. It's not possible."
After exchanging a bewildered look with Penny Bernadette said; "What do you mean by its not possible?"
"I mean Raj can't have children," Howard said while experiencing a pang of guilt for revealing what until now had been his best friend's closely guarded secret. "After he and Emily got married they tried to start a family only it didn't happen for them. Eventually they went to a doctor for tests. They discovered that Raj was the reason that they couldn't get pregnant."
"Poor Rajesh."
Everyone looked around simultaneously to see Amy appear in the kitchen doorway. Dressed as Clara Clayton from Back to the Future, she had given up on trying to convince Sheldon that it was time to go home and had heard everything which Howard had said.
"He was devastated. They both were," Howard recalled sadly. "They were just starting to look into fertility treatment when Emily found out that she had cancer."
"So what are we saying? That Anna has been cheating on Raj?" Amy speculated.
"I don't think we should be saying anything," Leonard interjected, sounding irritated. "Seriously guys we have no proof. Besides, how would Raj feel if he knew we were talking about him and Anna like this."
"Leonard's right. The best we thing we can do is forget that I even mentioned this, right?" Howard said, and was relieved by the nodding heads of agreement therafter.
"But what if were true?" Amy persisted, encapsulating their collective thoughts. "What then?"
And for once Howard found himself at a loss for words.
After the last of the guests had left for home Penny went upstairs to check on Maddie and Bobby, finding them both asleep she passed by Grace's old bedroom and could hear her and Joey watching a late night movie. Returning downstairs to the kitchen she found Leonard checking his phone for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening.
"Sweetie, are you ok?" she asked. She couldn't help but notice how distracted and subdued he'd been over the last few days and she was concerned that he had something on his mind.
"I'm fine," Leonard insisted after hastily switching off and pocketing his phone, "I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day."
"Not too tired I hope."
With a mischievous glint in her eye, Penny took her husband by the hand and led him from the kitchen and into the den.
"Honey, what are you doing?" Leonard asked as he watched her lock the door and turn her attention toward his juke box. Switching it on, she punched the buttons to select her desired track.
"I have been dying to get you out of this outfit all night Hofstadter." She said, huskily.
"Really?" I never knew that you were such a fan of Top Gun," Leonard grinned, "Did you know that to appear taller next to Kelly McGillis Tom Cruise wore lifts in his shoes?"
The juke box clicked as a record dropped into place on the turntable and unable to suppress her passion a moment longer, Penny tugged at the zip of Leonard's flight suit. "Leonard." She breathed as 'Take my breath away'began to play.
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"Copy that."
Later..
Lying breathlessly in each other's arms relaxing in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Leonard brushed a stray hair away from Penny's face. "Well that was fun and also a little unexpected." he admitted. It had been the first time they'd made love since Penny had given birth.
"Yeah, it definitely was." Penny agreed with a blissful faraway look in her eyes. "Sweetie, are you really ok?" she asked again, deciding to make use what was a rare occasion alone to try and encourage her husband into opening up to her. "Are you worried about the kids meeting Lauren?"
"I already said I'm fine," Leonard answered gruffly, scrambling in the dimly lit den for his boxers, he pulled them on in one swift movement. "Can we just drop it?"
"Actually no we can't," Penny said, visibly annoyed by her husband's reluctance to open up to her. "Don't you think that after all these years I can tell when you have something is bothering you?" she persisted.
Leonard hesitated and was about to reply when he was interrupted by a shrill cry coming over the baby monitor. Maddie had awoken for her feed. Hauling herself to her feet, Penny left to go upstairs to the nursery, followed a few minutes later by Leonard.
"Honey I'm sorry," he apologised as he watched Penny breastfeeding their daughter in a rocking chair. "You were right. I'm worried how the kids will take to Lauren. This is a big change for them.. and also I know how mad Grace is at me."
"Grace won't stay mad at you forever," Penny stated knowingly,"And anyway I think she's more disappointed than mad. She's always thought that you had way better taste in women. It was kinda of a blow for her to know that you dated Joy." she said jokingly, managing to elicit a weak smile from Leonard. Somehow she always knew the right thing to say and he loved her for it, but there was something else on his mind. Something he daren't tell. "I don't deserve you." he said.
Early the following morning with Maddie napping after her feed, Penny slipped on her bathrobe and made her way downstairs. Passing by the kitchen to pour a glass of water and to fetch an aspirin she then headed to the lounge. "Morning Raj," She said, smiling brightly as she drew the window drapes. "How's your head?"
A dishevelled Raj rolled over and opened one eye. "What happened?" he groaned.
"You passed out." Penny answered. Handing Raj the glass, he swallowed the aspirin with a gulp of water.
"I meant before that."
"Oh right, you mean your whole Cher routine?"
By now Raj was getting flashes of memory from the night before.
"Oh no I didn't.." he sighed with his head in his hands.
"What's wrong? Are you wishing you could turn back time?" Penny said, laughing at her own joke. "Honey you're not the first person and I'm sure that you won't be the last to make an ass of themselves on their birthday. I remember on my 21st.."
"Anna didn't show up, did she?" Raj interrupted.
"No, she didn't," Penny responded quietly, feeling sorry for her friend who looked crushed after being stood up by his girlfriend. "Maybe she had to go someplace else."
"Yeah, some place away from me," Raj snorted. "I've screwed up. Let's face it the reason Anna didn't come to my party was because she didn't want to."
"Sweetie, you don't know that." Penny said with a sympathetic smile.
"Don't I?"
Just then Bobby came bounding into the room. He'd found Raj's cell phone outside by the swimming pool, unfortunately Albert had got to it first and so it was a little chewed.
"I'm making French toast, do you want some?" Penny asked as Raj swiped his phone that was still working despite the damage it had sustained. There were no messages from Anna, but a voicemail from an unknown caller.
"No, thank you," he said. The mere thought of food made him feel queasy, "Actually I have to go." he added.
"What right now?" Won't you at least have a cof.."
But before Penny could finish her sentence Raj had disappeared out the door, yelling his apologies over his shoulder.
After breakfast Penny drove to the supermarket. Encountering several fans as she pushed her trolley around the store, she gladly stopped to sign autographs and to pose for photos. Despite the events of the last month she was stoic in her resolve not to be afraid of being out in public by herself and to put her experience at the hands of Kathy and Noah Keiger behind her. After returning home Penny set about planning the menu for the meal that night.
"You know you could have asked Marlena to help out," Leonard remarked later that afternoon, referring to their long-serving housekeeper who was an excellent cook and had catered for many of the Hofstadter's dinner parties. "Not that I don't love your cooking honey." he added quickly when Penny looked up from stirring a saucepan to glare at him.
"Watch it!" she warned, but then smiled. "You know I don't like to ask her to work at the weekends. Besides, I want to do this. You know, welcome Lauren into the family properly."
At 6pm with dinner in the oven, Penny headed upstairs to take a shower and to get changed into a sparkly crimson top, a pair of jeans and ballerina pumps. After much deliberation and changing his mind several times, Leonard decided upon jeans with loafers and a white linen shirt.
"Sweetie, it's not even seven o'clock yet," Penny said after watching him pace the length of the kitchen several times. "Why don't you pour yourself a glass of wine? Calm your nerves." she suggested.
Leonard had one hand on the refrigerator door when the front door bell rang. Penny waited in the kitchen while her nervous husband went to the door, returning a few minutes later with an equally nervous Lauren. "Lauren, this is my wife Penny." he said as his daughter took off the leather jacket which she wore over a floral print skater dress.
"It's a real pleasure to meet you Mrs Hofstadter." she said, extending her hand toward Penny.
With brown eyes and dark shoulder length curly hair, Lauren bore a striking resemble lance to Leonard.
"Please call me Penny."
With dinner nearly ready Leonard disappeared out of the kitchen in search of Grace and Bobby who were yet to meet their half sister.
"I brought you this," Lauren began, producing a bottle of sauvignon blanc from her tote purse. "Leonard said that you like to drink...I mean not that you drink too much, just that you enjoy a glass of wine." She stammered, her face glowing a bright shade of crimson.
"It's ok I know what you meant," Penny giggled. "And normally I do enjoy a glass of wine or two, but I'm breastfeeding right now."
"Oh, sure. I'm sorry I should have known. I'm sorry I'm so nervous." Lauren apologised while Penny continued to laugh.
"I'm sorry too Lauren I'm not laughing at you," Penny said. "It's just that you remind me of Leonard when we first met. He was so shy back then, he could barely look me in the eye."
"Really?" Lauren said, "I never would have thought that. He's one of the most respected and talented scientists at Caltech."
"I wouldn't let Sheldon hear you say that if I were you." Penny laughed.
"You mean Dr Cooper?"
"Yeah, even though he won a Nobel Prize, he's still pissed that Leonard got tenure and he didn't."
Just then Leonard returned to the kitchen cradling Maddie in his arms and accompanied by Grace, Joey and Bobby. "Guys this is Lauren." he said after introducing everyone in turn.
"Hi." Lauren said, shyly.
Ten minutes later they were all seated around the table in the dining room helping themselves to a meal of roast chicken and potatoes.
"Leonard said that you play guitar," Joey commented in an attempt to break the silence. "Maybe we could have a jamming session next time I'm back in LA." he suggested, his voice trailing off when he caught Grace shooting him a warning glare.
"Thanks, but I'm really not that good," Lauren answered, feeling embarrassed. Leonard had told her that Joey was studying at the Chicago College of Performing Arts while she herself played infrequently during her spare time. "I don't get much time to practice these days."
"Well, maybe I could give you a couple of lessons." Joey offered and winced when he felt Grace kick him in the leg under the table.
"Lauren, how do you like trains?" Bobby piped up.
"Umm not much," Lauren replied. "I recently moved into an apartment near a train track. The trains seem to run all night and they keep me awake." She added.
"Where are you living now?" Penny enquired in a bid to change the topic of conversation from trains so as to avoid any further disappointment for her son who looked crestfallen.
After a particularly ferocious fight with her mother Lauren had decided to move out of home and into a shared apartment with some fellow students. "Really it's not that bad," She insisted after noticing the look of horror on Leonard's face when she told him where she was living. It was a neighbourhood which was known for gang crime. "It's all I can afford right now...and besides it's not like it will be forever. It's just until I complete my master's."
After finishing dessert, Penny told Bobby to go upstairs to get ready for bed while Grace and Joey cleared the dishes away. Alone with his daughter, Leonard took the opportunity to talk about her studies and was impressed to learn that she had been shortlisted for an award.
"I'd better get going soon," Lauren said after realising that it was gone ten."I don't want to miss the last bus."
"No problem I'll give you a ride home," Leonard insisted. He'd only drunk half a glass of wine and so was able to drive. "It means we can talk some more about your work on kinetic absorption models."
A few minutes later Penny returned from upstairs, followed soon after by Joey and Grace who had finished loading the dishwasher and were now have a heated debate as to which of them was the most domesticated.
"It was great to meet you Lauren." Grace said, with a smile which failed to reach her eyes.
While Lauren had largely enjoyed the evening, it had been littered with uneasy exchanges and awkward silences. "Look I know this is difficult, "she began, her gaze dropping to the floor so as to avoid Grace whom she was convinced had taken a dislike to her. "You're probably thinking it would be better if you'd never found out about me."
"Nobody thinks that Lauren," Leonard cut in. "We're happy to have you here."
"Well, I wouldn't blame you. I know you guys have had a really tough year," Lauren began. Penny's kidnap had been all over the news as had Noah' Geiger's failed attempt on her life. "To be honest at first I would have done anything for it not to be true," She admitted. "But now I'm just pleased to have met you. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't expect you to just accept me into your family, but I really hope something good can come of all this."
Feeling embarrassed, Lauren pulled on her jacket and said goodnight.
"Hey Lauren...Joey and I have got tickets to see The Feels at the Rose Bowl in November," Grace began. She'd noticed that Lauren was wearing the band's button on her jacket and assumed that like them she was also a fan. "Maybe you could come with us...You know if you want." she added with a shrug.
"Thanks, I would like that." Lauren smiled.
By the time Leonard returned home from driving Lauren back to her apartment Penny was sitting up in bed reading through script for the movie in which she was star the following year. She waited while he brushed his teeth before he joined her in the bedroom in his boxer shorts. "Oh, I forgot to tell you I tried calling Raj earlier," she began as Leonard pulled back the comforter and slid into the bed beside her. "He's still not answering. I have to say I'm getting a little worried about him."
"Hmmm." Leonard said, apparently distracted by this own thoughts.
"Sweetie, what is it that's bothering you?" Penny asked, removing her reading glasses and studying his pensive expression.
Driving Lauren back to her apartment Leonard had been disturbed by what they had encountered. A shooting had taken place in her street. According to Lauren it was the third that month, although she had tried her best to play it down.
For almost an hour Penny lay beside her sleepless husband who tossed and turned until she finally sat up and switched on the light."This thing with Lauren is really bothering you, isn't it?" she said.
"Honey, you should have seen the place where she's living. The street outside her apartment is crawling with drunks and gangs," Leonard said, "I think I'll call her to check if she's ok." he decided, reaching for the phone on the nightstand.
"Leonard, it's after midnight she's probably asleep." Penny said, practically.
"You're right. I just wish I could do something," Leonard sighed, "I keep thinking I would never ever let any of our kids live in a place like that. Hell I wouldn't even be happy for Albert to live there." he said of their pet Labrador.
"I wouldn't either," Penny agreed, "But sweetie there is an obvious solution."
"Yeah, what's that?"
"Why don't you ask Lauren to move in here? At least until she's finishes her studies."
"Seriously?" Leonard exclaimed, "You'd be ok with that?"
"Well, it's not like we don't have the room now that Grace is living in Chicago." Penny smiled and felt Leonard slip his hand into hers, squeezing it gently.
"And what about Bobby? Do you think he'll be ok with it?" he asked.
"Bobby will be fine. I'll talk to him."
And so it was decided that Leonard would speak to Lauren the following day at the university."Thank you." he whispered gratefully.
"Do you think she'll say yes?" Penny wondered out loud.
"I really hope so."
It was gone midnight when Howard heard a car pull up on the drive outside his house. Rising from the bed and putting on his bathrobe, for a moment he wondered whether his son Joey had had a fight with Grace and decided to come home for the night. Descending the stairs, he could hear somebody tapping on the front door.
"I'm sorry did I wake you guys?"
Standing on the porch, his hair and jacket damp from the rain was Raj.
"No, I was still awake," Howard answered, "Where the heck have you been?" he asked as his best friend followed him inside. "Leonard said you ran out on them this morning. We've all been worried about you."
In the kitchen Raj took a seat at the table. "I've been with Anna." he answered.
"Oh, Really?"
Anticipating Raj was about to announce that he and Anna had broken up; Howard braced himself for bad news.
"She's pregnant."
"What?" Howard breathed after a silence. It seemed that Anna's neighbour had been right after all.
"She's been sick. That's why she didn't make it to my party," Raj explained to Howard. "She went to visit an old friend from law school in San Diego. Apparently she passed out in her hallway."
"My God is she ok?"
Raj nodded. "She's doing better. She was dehydrated and ended up having to spend the night in the hospital. Her friend, Rebecca, she tried calling me, only I was drunk and lost my phone," he said, feeling guilty that he hadn't been there for Anna. "I didn't find out until this morning."
Howard got up and walked over to the refrigerator. He couldn't help but wonder why Anna hadn't told Raj before and for why she had gone to visit her friend. "Do you want a beer?" he asked.
"No thanks I'm good. Aren't you going to congratulate me?" a disappointed Raj questioned after Howard had returned to the table holding a bottle of beer. "I just told you that I'm going to be a father."
Howard exhaled. "I thought that you and Emily couldn't..you know that you weren't able to.."
"The baby's mine, ok?" Raj snapped, cutting Howard off mid-sentence.
"Buddy, I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"So what are you saying? That Anna slept with somebody else?" Raj demanded, angrily. "Or maybe you think that she's a gold digger out to trap me for my money."
It was common knowledge that Raj and his siblings stood to inherit handsomely from their exceptionally wealthy parents. It hadn't been the first time that he'd fallen prey to a woman that was only interested in his bank balance.
"No, of course not. Raj, I'm just concerned about you getting hurt." Howard reiterated.
With that Raj got to his feet. He'd changed his mind about having a drink and so went to the refrigerator to retrieve a beer. "Have you ever considered that doctors can be wrong?" he said after taking a swig. "I remember sitting in Emily's doctor's office and him look her in the eye and say that she had a really good chance of beating her cancer. Eighteen months later she was dead. He was wrong. Just like the doctor who told me that I couldn't have kids was wrong."
Howard found himself at a loss for words. It seemed his best friend was unwilling to entertain the possibility that he might not be the father of Anna's baby. "So what are you guys going to do?" he asked.
"I know we've got a lot of stuff to work out," Raj conceded, "But this baby needs a father and I intend to do my best to make it work." He and Anna had only been dating for six months and although he felt ready for a greater level of commitment, sadly he'd come to realise that Anna wasn't. "I notice you still haven't congratulated me," Raj remarked quietly after yet another awkward silence. Having drunk his beer he was now absentmindedly peeling the label off the bottle. "Aren't you happy for me?" he asked, sounding hurt.
"Of course I'm happy for you. It's just a lot to take in. To be honest after what you said last night I thought you were going to tell me that you and Anna had broken up." Howard confessed. "Hang on, I almost forgot I have something for you," he continued. Getting up, he opened a drawer and presented Raj with a gift. "I meant to give it to you last night at the party, but well you know.."
Howard watched Raj tear off the shiny blue wrapping paper to reveal a photo album. "It was Bernie's idea, but all the guys helped to put it together." he explained, smiling proudly.
"Thank you. It's perfect." Raj said. Turning the pages of the album, Raj discovered photographs spanning their thirty year friendship. There were pictures from every Comic-Con and costume party they'd ever gone to together, including the time when whilst on route to Bakersfield Comic-con Leonard had had his car stolen, forcing them to walk for miles in the desert dressed in Star Trek costumes. Raj turned the page to discover a picture of Emily and himself at the high school prom night which his friends had re-created on the roof of their old apartment building in the fall of 2014.
"You know when Emily died part of me died too," he confessed in a choked whisper. "Meeting Anna...well she brought me back to life again. For the first time in years I feel alive... and now I'm going to be a father. I'll have a family of my own. Howard that means everything to me."
And with tears forming in his eyes Howard knew every word to be true. "Congratulations buddy."he said.
