When Penny woke up, the first thing she noticed was her neck hurt. She groaned and swung her feet over the edge of the couch. That's when she felt the arm tighten around her waist. Sheldon. It all came back to her. She and Sheldon had watched a movie, and she fell asleep cuddling with him on the couch.
This was bad.
She was able to extract herself from his grasp, and went into Emilia's room to check on her. She was thankful it was finally Saturday, so she didn't have to worry about getting Emmy to school. She also didn't have work that day.
She saw her daughter sleeping peacefully, clutching the Care Bear Sheldon had bought her for her last birthday. Satisfied, Penny went back to the living room, nudging Sheldon with her hand.
He looked up at her groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Penny?" he asked, seeming confused.
"You fell asleep on the couch, Moonpie," she told him, smiling a little. He didn't need to know that she slept there with him.
He made a tired groaning noise, and began to get off the couch.
"This is a disaster," he said, looking to Penny.
Penny sighed. He obviously pieced together that they had been asleep together on the couch. They hadn't done anything inappropriate, it's not like there was anything to be ashamed about.
"Sheldon," she said, hoping it was in a comforting voice, "everything is fine. No need to get worked up."
Sheldon didn't get a chance to respond, however, because a tiny blonde head poked itself out of the bedroom.
"Mommy, did you and Shelly have a slumber party?" Emmy asked innocently, grinning at her mom. She did love Sheldon.
Penny decided to avoid the question. "Sweetie, why don't I get you some cereal. Sheldon, do you want anything?"
Sheldon shook his head, and said his goodbyes, beforestalking back to his apartment.
XoXoXo
Sheldon knew there was no reason to be upset over what happened with Penny. Since the birth of Emilia, he had foregone his previously rigid routines, and was much more laid back. But he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that what happened, shouldn't have happened.
He and Penny had become much closer in the past months. Leonard had pulled away from his small family, and Sheldon suspected that he was afraid of the commitment—now that he and Penny had a child, they would forever be a part of each other's lives. Penny was no longer just Leonard's "arm candy" at university gala's. She was a mother. Leonard was still a frat boy at heart.
Sheldon knew Leonard still frequented strip clubs with Howard and Raj, and usually lied to Penny regarding his whereabouts—a fact that Sheldon resented, deeply. The Texan gentleman in him knew to treat ladies better than that.
Leonard leaving on the North Sea expedition had been a turning point in his and Penny's relationship. Leonard had confided in Sheldon that much of the romance between the two was gone. Leonard tried to blame Penny, but Sheldon knew the truth. At this point, Sheldon merely tolerated Leonard.
Those thoughts brought him back to his feelings about Amy. They lived pretty much separate lives, however before she left for her conference, brought up her desire for a child. Sheldon hadn't given her an answer. He didn't mind the idea of children so much as he minded the idea of having them with her. Their relationship, after all, was but a relationship of the mind.
XoXoXo
Penny and Emilia kept themselves occupied all of Saturday playing games and watching television. Before Penny knew it, it was Sunday night. Leonard had been gone 4 days now. He was supposed to call or email when he made it to the research ship, but she hadn't heard from him yet.
She didn't know what she expected. He hadn't left on great terms, but Penny had hoped that he would at least reach out for their daughter's sake.
The calls and emails never came though.
XoXoXo
The few days passed as they always did—except for the absence of Leonard and Amy. Sheldon also spent a great deal of time with Penny and Emilia, however, that wasn't entirely new. The past few months, he had spending increasing amounts of time with them. He was always there when Penny needed someone. Hell, he was even there whenever Emmy needed anything, or when she did something impressive. He was there more than her own father.
Penny could feel something shifting. They would eat ice cream after putting Emilia to bed, and watch crappy TV. Penny noticed, though, that she and Sheldon were sharing more with each other. It was Thursday night when Sheldon asked the question that shook Penny to the core.
"Penny, are you happy?" he asked, looking at her with his intense blue eyes. She was on her third glass of wine, and her lips were a little looser than usual.
"Right now I am," she had replied.
"No, I mean in general. With Leonard."
Her brow had furrowed at that. "No. I'm not."
"He's never…struck you before, right?" Sheldon asked, afraid to no the answer.
"No, he hasn't. Our disputes are verbal. I don't like when he yells at me in front of Emilia. That's why I bring her over to you and Amy."
"Hmm," Sheldon had said, letting his hand fall on her leg.
She froze. She was sure it must have been an accident. Maybe the wine was affecting her more than usual. Maybe she was asleep.
"Leave him," Sheldon said simply, leaning in a little closer to his best friend. "He hasn't contacted you in close to a week. He berates you in front of your daughter. You aren't happy. Leave him."
