Well, finished another shorty of this story ^^
Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.
Disclaimer2: I use TerribleWaitress' character Meryl again :)
The present – 1 year old
"This will not stand!" the voice of Sheldon pulled them out of their reverie of sitting in their new pool with Chris securely fixed in his swimming ring, splashing the water happily.
"Hello Sheldon." Penny sighed. "What brings you here?"
"What brings me here?" the lanky physicist asked. "How about that outrage of your husband taking away my parking space."
"What?" Leonard spoke up. "That's the first time I hear about that."
"I just got a call from President Siebert and he told me that he's giving my parking space to you since, and I quote 'Professor Hofstadter's contributions to this institution is greater than anything you have ever done.' Can you believe that? He even told me that if I pull the same thing I did when Howard got my space, I would be sanctioned."
"Yes. About time, I might add." Penny smiled at her husband.
"Sheddon!" Chris cooed, laughing and pointing at Sheldon.
"My name is Sheldon. And for you, it's Doctor Cooper."
"Sheddon Copper."
"No, Sheldon Cooper."
"Sheddon... Copper." Chris repeated.
"Sheldon is arguing with a one-year old." Penny whispered to Leonard and chuckled.
"I see it. And he's losing."
"Cooper. Cooper. Cooper!" Sheldon still tried to get Chris to get his name right.
"Copper!"
"Leonard, I'm afraid your son is mentally challenged." Sheldon told him.
"Sheldon, my son is one year old and has less than a hundred words in his vocabulary." Leonard sighed. "And why are you here again?"
"I told you, because of the parking spot issue."
"That's something you couldn't have told him over the phone?" Penny asked.
"Um, I..."
"Yes?"
"I hadn't thought of that." Sheldon admitted.
"So, the super intelligent Sheldon was unable to use a phone?" Penny grinned and moved out of the pool, pulling Chris out with her and drying both him and her off.
"I was too worked up."
"How did you get here?" Leonard asked.
"I had to come here by bus. Amy refused to drive me for some reason."
"Because she knew that the issue is stupid." Penny interjected as she threw a sundress over her body.
"It's not stupid, it's my parking spot." Sheldon objected.
"Sheldon, get it into your head." Penny growled. "That parking spot does not belong to you. It's the property of the university and they can do with it as they please."
"But..."
"And you don't have a car. So why do you insist on keeping a piece of asphalt that you never used in your life? Is it only to appease your ego?"
"I don't..." Sheldon tried but Penny wouldn't let him.
"Yes, it is about your ego! You can't stand the fact that you're not the biggest fish at your university. Guess what, Leonard has surpassed you. He has NOBEL PRIZE. Even Howard has surpassed you, he had been in space. And I know that Barry Kripke has done better work at that fusion thing you have tried with him."
"How do you know that?" Sheldon asked shocked. "That was years ago?"
"Amy told me. She tells me everything, you know that."
"You can't have my parking spot." Sheldon said petulantly to Leonard, who also got out of the pool.
"It's still not your decision to make." Leonard returned as he dried himself off.
"But..."
"Sheldon, we're going to have dinner, do you want some?" Penny asked.
"Sure, what are you having?"
"Chicken and rice."
"Today's Sunday. We don't eat chicken on Sunday." Sheldon immediately complained.
"Well, you may not, but we do." Penny returned and sat Chris down in his high char at the table. "Just out of curiosity, what do you eat on Sunday for dinner?"
"We always had some form of pasta." Leonard answered for Sheldon as he entered the kitchen, dressed in loose overshorts and took the food out of the fridge to heat it in the microwave.
"Not only are you not eating the proper food for Sunday, you're making it in a microwave?" Sheldon asked.
"We cooked it during lunch so we don't have to cook now." Penny replied. "It's called efficiency."
"What you call efficiency, others call laziness." Sheldon retorted. "Did you do anything today but lounging in your pool?"
"I spent my morning working on my grant hearing for tomorrow." Leonard told him. "And Penny brushed up on her stuff for her meeting with some client tomorrow. And if you haven't noticed, we have a small child to take care of."
"Don't remind me, he's the reason I have to live alone for over a year and a half now."
"Still no luck with finding a roommate?" Leonard asked.
"No." Sheldon sighed. "I don't understand it. I even reduced the roommate agreement to two hundred pages and left out the no showers after ten pm rule. But of all those applicants I had so far, only three passed the initial test."
"The initial test?" Penny echoed?"
"Yeah, didn't you remember? I told you about that when I recounted the tale of how the elevator got broken." Leonard said. "He asked me about the sixth nobel gas and then Kirk vis-a-vis Picard."
"Right." Penny remembered vaguely.
"So far, I interviewed two hundred and eighty four applicants and only fifty-three of them managed to pass the first test." Sheldon continued. "The funniest of them was a guy who said he didn't care about Star Trek. And he wanted to move in with me."
"That's a shock." Penny quipped sarcastically.
"What about the fifty-three people who made it?"
"Twenty had no car, so they couldn't drive me. Two ridiculed me for having a spot on the couch, which was mean cause it's my couch and the rest laughed at the roommate agreement."
"Actually, the couch is rightfully mine, since I bought it all those years ago." Leonard told him. "What if I asked you to give it back to me?"
"But you already have a couch so you don't need it." Sheldon protested.
"And you don't need your parking spot." Leonard pushed the final nail in.
"But... curses!" Sheldon muttered. "Beaten by my own argument."
"Get used to it." Penny said. "If I had less restraint, you would get beaten by something more solid than your own argument."
"Fine." Sheldon accepted his loss. "Can I have my pasta now?"
"Sure, if you go out and buy yourself some. We're having chicken and rice." Penny said as the microwave oven dinged.
She took the containers out and distributed the food on several plates, placing one in front of Sheldon, one for her, one for Leonard and a small bowl for Chris. Leonard put the bib around Chris' neck and sat down next to him, cutting the chicken pieces into very small pieces before he started feeding his son.
"Is it wise to give him chicken? Can he chew that already?" Sheldon asked.
"Chris has several teeth in his mouth already." Penny told him. "He started teething when he was four months old. I still feel the bites on my nipples."
"And luckily, he took it in stride without crying." Leonard continued. "Frank and Alice told us that Thomas used to scream bloody murder when he got his first tooth."
"Wait, back up a second." Sheldon spoke up before his fork was in his mouth. "You have a grant hearing tomorrow?"
"Yes." Leonard replied.
"Why don't I know this?"
"Because you're not in it. It's not even at the university. It's only a preliminary hearing."
"Who is the benefactor?"
"That's classified." Leonard said and Sheldon huffed. "I'm serious, it's really classified for now."
They finished their meal, Chris dutifully eating his portion while Sheldon constantly muttered about eating the wrong food for Sunday and Penny went on to wash the dishes, since they were too few to use the dishwasher. Sheldon called himself a cab and after ten minutes, he bid his goodbye and left them alone.
Leonard took Chris into the bathroom and washed him quickly with a washcloth, since they all had been in the water for several hours during the afternoon. Lastly, after putting his onesie over him, he gently brushed Chris' teeth, seeing with pride the eight teeth in his son's mouth, with only the molars still missing.
As he was taking Chris to bed, Penny joined him for the tucking in, something they did almost every night since their child had been born. Penny stepped into Leonard's embrace, enjoying his lips on her neck while they watched their son quickly fall asleep, knowing that they would get their own full nights rest if there wasn't some emergency. After ten minutes, Chris was sleeping soundly and both walked into their own bedroom to change out of their swimming clothes.
Penny took off her sundress, standing around in her bikini and laying out her pajamas while Leonard already finished changing into his sleeping shorts and white shirt. Before she could proceed, she noticed a message on her phone and had to laugh as she read it.
"What is it?" Leonard asked and she held the phone out for him to read the message from Alice.
Just walked into Thomas room and found him scrambling back to his desk, trying to hide binoculars. Might have to have a tough talk with him, if he does that. I'm watching him through the keyhole and he is again looking at your window with his binoculars
"What the hell? Why is Thomas watching you with binoculars?"
"Remember, Alice told me that Thomas seems to have a crush on me for some reason." she told him.
"I can understand a crush but binoculars are pretty extreme for one. And an eight year old? Even an overgrown one shouldn't be in that puberty stage of raging hormones."
"Huh, maybe he simply wants to take a peek at the girls?" Penny hesitated.
"Well, that I can understand." Leonard grinned.
"Down boy, you can play with them later. But I have an idea." she said and took her phone to type a quick message to Alice.
Don't walk into his room, I have an idea. Maybe it'll work
Okay, I wait
Penny walked towards the bed and took her pajamas bottoms into her hands, quickly changing out of her swim bottoms and putting on the pajamas. Before she did the same with the top, she walked into the frame of the window and turned towards it. Taking a deep breath, she took her bikini top off, exposing her breasts to young Thomas who was, according to Alice, watching her right now.
She took her time, pretending to shake out her top, before she put it on and covered her breasts again. She then closed lowered the blinds, blocking any view into the bedroom from that window, leaving only the big one opposite the bed which looked out at a treeline.
"What was that about?" Leonard asked just as Penny's phone dinged again with a message, which Penny read again and showed it to Leonard, a smile on her face.
I have no idea what you did, but Thomas set the binoculars down, put them into his closet and sat back down at his desk
"You did what?" Leonard asked.
"I'll explain in a second."
I showed him my breasts she typed back.
WHAT? WHY?
I figured that he needed to get it out of his system. Depending on what happens the next time we're training at your place and I'm wearing a revealing top, it was either successful or not
Well, from first glance, it was successful. See you tomorrow evening for training
"Okay, so you showed him your breasts so he would stop staring at you?" Leonard asked, having read what Penny wrote.
"Yup. I hope he simply wanted to see what the fuss is about and is now satisfied. Since he's eight, I don't think he'll lie in his bed and jack off to the mental image." she grinned.
"Not a good thing to be thinking about right now." he groaned and rubbed his eyes. "But now you can take your top off again."
"Why?"
"Because." he smiled and did the job for her, quickly pulling the top over her head, leaving her standing in just her pajama bottoms. "You promised me I can play with them later. And now is later."
Giggling, Penny allowed him to throw her onto the bed. Soon after, the giggling turned into moans and they made fulfilling love until both fell into a satisfied sleep to gather strength for the morning.
13 months ago:
"Mom! Dad!" Penny squealed when she saw her parents standing outside her house.
"There's our little girl." Wyatt smiled and saw her very pregnant belly. "Although not so little anymore."
"Dad!" Penny whined. "I already feel fat enough without you reminding me about it."
"You look great, sweetheart. Don't listen to your father, he is a moron like every man." Meryl said and went to hug Penny.
"Hey!" Wyatt protested.
"It's true, Honey." Meryl continued. "We're visiting our pregnant daughter and the first thing out of your mouth is that she's gained weight."
"But she did. And I didn't meant... ah, screw it." Wyatt sighed and hugged Penny as well. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Penny said and led her parents into the living room where she almost collapsed on the couch.
"How are you feeling sweetheart?"
"Fat. Bloated. Ready to pop." Penny counted on her fingers. "Happy. Impatient for him to finally be here. Loved. Leonard is such a great husband. He did everything for me during the last three months, made me feel special and beautiful and he learned to bake Meringues when I ate eight of them in a bakery."
"He can bake Meringues?" Meryl asked surprised.
"Yeah, try one." Penny said and held a bowl filled with them towards her.
"Wow, they are so fluffy. It's like eating sweet air."
"Yes." Penny agreed. "And if my son is born and I still weigh fifty pounds too much, I can blame both him, when he's old enough, and Leonard."
"You could always stop eating them." Wyatt grinned.
"No, I really can't." Penny replied and as if to underline the point, she popped another one into her mouth, moaning at the sweetness going down her throat.
"Where is my favorite son-in-law?" Wyatt asked.
"Your favorite? That's not hard when he's your only one." Penny retorted. "And he's at work. Since he got that Nobel announcement, he's been working extra hard with the team he had gotten."
"Wow, a Nobel prize in my family." Wyatt said proudly. "I'm so glad my plan worked."
"What plan?" Penny asked.
"To get you back together. I pleaded with him not to give up on you when I was visiting you the year after you broke up."
"I'm still peeved because of that." Penny growled playfully. "Though it had the desired effect. I really wanted him back after that."
"Then it was a good thing I did."
"No, it was a bad thing that coincidentally worked but that doesn't change the fact that it was manipulating your own daughter." Penny pouted.
"I... you know slugger, since I got what I wanted, I'm not sorry in that regard. I have a son-in-law to be proud of and soon my first grandchild as well."
"And for that reason I'm not mad at you." Penny smiled and rubbed her hand over her belly.
"Are you uncomfortable?" Meryl asked.
"Sometimes. Though for some reason my libido is on overdrive."
"That happens sometimes." Meryl said.
"Gee, I don't want to hear things like this." Wyatt groaned.
"Dad, I'm married and are a month away from popping out a human being. I think you know how they get in there in the first place, so you shouldn't be surprised that I'm having sex." Penny admonished.
"I still see you as my baby girl who got scratches repairing the tractor engine."
"I will always be your little girl but I'm also a grownup." Penny smiled. "Change of topic, how long are you staying?"
"Two days, if that's okay with you. Lucy and Mike are watching the farm while we're here."
"Great. I'll text Leonard that we have guests for dinner but I won't tell who." Penny grinned and grabbed her phone to type a quick message to her husband.
The present – 1 year old:
"There's my little angel." Penny said with a big smile as she walked into the daycare center of her company after coming back from a successful sales talk.
"Mama." Chris cooed happily and stretched out his arms as he stumbled towards her on his two legs.
"Wanna go get daddy?"
"Yeah, dada."
"Any troubles?" she asked Kara, the woman from the nursery staff.
"No, he's the perfect little boy. I wished that one of my kids had been like him at his age." Kara mused. "Every other kid here was crying bloody murder when their parents left them here for the first few times. What did you do that he doesn't cry?"
"We had him sleep in his own room from day one. Never with us in our bedroom."
"And that helped?"
"I don't know if it was this specifically, but that's what we did. We used a baby monitor of course but he slept in his own room." Penny told her.
"I'll tell that to my sister, she's about to pop any day now." Kara smiled. "You have fun."
"Thanks Kara. See you tomorrow." Penny said and walked out, Chris in her arms.
Penny walked to her car and put Chris into the baby seat on the back, taking care to strap him in properly. She started the car and drove to the restaurant where Leonard said he was having the preliminary hearing and where they decided to meet for lunch. She parked the car and took Chris out of his seat, holding him on her arm while walking towards the establishment.
"How can I help you?" the maitre d' asked her. "Table for two?"
"No, I'm here to meet my husband, he should be waiting for me already. He had a meeting here." Penny told the man.
"Very good. What's his name?"
"Leonard Hofstadter."
"I don't have that name on my list, do you see him in here?" the man asked and Penny looked around, finding Leonard at a table in the back with two people wearing suits on the other side of the table.
"He's over there." she pointed at her husband.
"Do you want me to announce you?"
"No need, I'll go over there. When the two others leave, we will have lunch."
"Very good."
Penny walked over to where Leonard was sitting and noticed the way he talked about his field. Her heart swelled when she got another glimpse at how smart he was, how comfortable he was talking about the things he loved. The man and woman in suits listened carefully, the man making notes about whatever Leonard said.
"Excuse me, can we help you?" the woman suddenly spoke up, looking at Penny who was standing a few feet away.
"I'm sorry, I'm just waiting for you to finish." she replied and Leonard's head swiveled around at the sound of her voice.
"Is it one already?" he asked.
"Yes, ten after already."
"This is my wife Penny and my son Chris." Leonard introduced her and the woman suddenly almost squealed at the sight of their son.
"Oh, what a cute kid." she gushed. "May I hold him."
"Sure, if he lets you." Penny said and held Chris out for the woman to hold him. Chris didn't resist and put his hands on the woman's shoulder, who walked around while making baby noises and bouncing Chris on her arm.
"The woman who looks as if she's about to kidnap our son is Colonel Maria Sheridan, and this is her adjutant, Lieutenant Alex Mercer." Leonard introduced the two people. "I'm sorry but I thought we would be finished by now, that's why I had made the lunch reservation for me and my wife and son."
"That's okay, we're done with this one anyway." Mercer said.
"So, to recap. Yes, the technology is possible if we can manage to downsize the fusion technology enough. If you care about my suggestions, I wouldn't try tanks first but ships. Then you can have them on sea basically forever, at least in terms of fuel."
"And the other thing?" Colonel Sheridan asked, handed Chris back to Penny and went back into professional mode.
"That remains to be seen. Again, it's basically dependent on the energy supply, so we're back to the downsizing of the fusion technology to fit the vehicles."
"That would mean a complete new production of tanks." Colonel Sheridan sighed.
"Not necessarily. I'm no military designer but I'm sure you can retrofit a tank. The barrel would have to be changed, and the engine exchanged with the fusion reactor and a set of capacitors to hold energy for the gun. Also, they have to be able to be recharged quickly, otherwise it would be of no use."
"Well, that's for other people to figure out." Colonel Sheridan said and held out her hand. "It was a pleasure, Doctor Hofstadter."
"Same." Leonard returned and shook it.
"And we would appreciate it if you keep what we discussed to yourself. And your wife, since she heard us." Lieutenant Mercer added.
"Don't worry, we can trust her and the university knows that I can't tell about what we talked about." Leonard said. "If you want to go forward with the grant, you can go through the regular channels with the university."
"And think about our offer." Colonel Sheridan smiled.
"Sorry, I really have no desire to work for you full time. A grant contracted researcher, fine and good but nothing will make me leave my wife and kids for a few months."
"Just think about it." Colonel Sheridan smiled and she left with her adjutant.
"What was that about?" Penny asked as she sat Chris down and then herself.
"They asked me if I would consider starting to work for them. But I don't want to move away from California and I certainly don't think you want to."
"You got that right." Penny said.
"Now, lets get to my little man." Leonard said, and took Chris out of the chair and into his arm.
"Daddy!" Chris cooed and giggled.
"Oh, he managed to get the daddy out instead of dada." Leonard grinned proudly and kissed Chris on the cheek.
"When he starts saying mommy, I'm gonna cry." Penny smiled and took Chris back to put him back on the other chair.
"I took the liberty of ordering for us." Leonard said.
"When did you do that?"
"When I got here, I told them to bring the food when my meeting ended."
"I knew there was a reason to marry you." she grinned and squeezed his hand over the table.
"My prevision of your culinary needs?"
"Yeah. And you drive me."
"Ah, okay." he winked.
"And of course, you gave me a son and happiness. I love you."
"I love you too."
"So, what was that thing about tanks and stuff about?" she asked after a few seconds of them just looking into each others eyes.
"You can't tell anyone, really." he told her and she nodded. "The military remembered me when I did that laser experiment to see if they can shoot missiles out of the sky."
"I remember, you said that on our second first date before we got back together."
"Right." he nodded. "And now, since I made that discovery that could lead to an unlimited supply of energy, lasers could become viable as weapons."
"Is that the right way?" she asked concerned.
"It's inexorable. Also, most technology came out of the military. For that matter, most technological advances were made during wars."
"I know, I learned that during my history class. Gatling guns during the civil war, submarines during world war one, jet fighters and rockets during world war two and so on and so on."
"Wow, you just turned me on so much with your display of knowledge." Leonard groaned.
"Well, then I know what to do tonight to get you going." she grinned.
"Usually, getting naked is enough." he winked and then went quiet, as the waiter brought them their food.
As they ate, Penny stole glances at her husband in between her own bites and the food she fed to Chris. Her husband got the prime parking spot at the university and now was on his way to get a possible multi-million dollar grant for him and the university that would make him even more prestigious than he is now, especially after that fundraiser they went to a few weeks ago.
Going to stop here. It's so hot and humid in my apartment, I don't want to write anymore right now and if I continue, I might start to mix up the canon of both of my stories -.-
Still, review please :)