A/N: This is the final chapter of this story. It's a short epilogue. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from The Big Bang Theory. I don't own any of the characters.

CHAPTER 10 - EPILOGUE

Leonard roamed through the cozy fireplace room of his house in Los Angeles and looked at the objects in the glass cabinet, which almost occupied a whole wall of the room. There were some People Choice Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and many more. Amazing, he thought. His wife had really achieved a lot since her breakthrough seven years ago. She had become a critically acclaimed TV star with millions of fans around the world. Her latest accolade was a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, that she received just a few weeks ago.

Looking at the opposite wall he saw his own accolades and certificates, which he got over the last years as an internationally recognized luminary in the area of high powered lasers. Recently he became a tenured professor and head of the Physics Department at the California Institute of Technology, much to the dismay of his old roommate and Caltech colleague Doctor Sheldon Cooper. Thinking of his roommate and his old apartment in Pasadena, he was amazed how much his life had changed over the last few years. To live in such a huge house, which he and his wife bought four years ago, was still beyond his wildest dreams.

Leonard wanted to leave the room to get something to drink, when his eyes fell on the array of framed photos on the mantelpiece. He walked towards them and stopped right in front of their wedding photo. It was taken a little more than six years ago. He took it into his hand and smiled. The most beautiful bride of all time. It brought back memories of the wonderful wedding ceremony on the cliffs in the Big Sur region on California's central coast with a breathtaking view on the Pacific Ocean. It was like a fairy tale. He put it back and looked at the other photos. His eyes wandered to the photos of their honeymoon in Europe. They had visited Rome, Paris, Berlin and London. What a fantastic experience this was. And then there were all the photos of their friends. Howard with his wife Bernadette and their daughter Halley, Sheldon and his fiancée Amy and Raj. Leonard chuckled. Who would have thought that. Howard is married and has a child and even Sheldon is engaged now. Raj however was alone in his photo. He had some relationships over the last few years. There was Lucy and most recently Claire. In-between these two, there was even a long-term relationship with a girl named Emily, but they all broke up. Being able to talk to women without alcohol for a few years now didn't help him either to have a stable relationship.

Leonard turned his attention to the book shelves, next to the glass cabinet. They had a really nice collection of valuable books. Rare first editions, collectibles and a lot of science and art books. But his eyes sticked to the photo albums on one of the lower shelves, which were sorted by year in ascending order. He grabbed the album of the year 2007 and sat down in one of the armchairs at the fireplace. He started to browse, when his wife entered the room.

"Hey sweetie, what are you looking at?" she asked.

Leonard turned around and smiled at his beautiful wife. She wore black leggins, and a t-shirt of the animal rescue organization she supported for years. Her long blond hair were tied together in a messy bun. "Oh, hey Penny. Back from your PR campaign in the animal shelter?"

"Yeah, I just came home," she said and took a sip from a water bottle.

Leonard kissed his wife, who took a seat on the armrest next to her husband, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I'm looking at the pictures from the road trip. Do you remember the day when you and I first met? I can hardly believe that ten years have passed since then."

"I remember this day as if it were yesterday," Penny said. Looking at her watch, she realized something. "Hey, today is September 24. So exactly ten years have passed since we met. It's our anniversary, and we almost forgot it."

"Actually, I haven't," Leonard winked. "I have prepared a special anniversary meal for us tonight. And you just talked about our tenth anniversary yesterday evening, so you haven't forgotten it either."

Penny smiled. "You're right. It just temporarily slipped away from my memory. I'm so lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one," Leonard replied. "Ten years ago I walked into a restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska and found the love of my life."

"Aww, honey. You're so sweet," Penny said and kissed him on the cheek. "And I have found the love of my life too. Those ten years with you by my side were simply wonderful."

Leonard smiled at his wife. "When you think about all the things that happened in those years. All the things you have achieved. You started as a waitress, and now in 2017 you are one of the most-loved actresses in the world."

"But you have achieved many things too," Penny replied. "You don't have to hide your light under a bushel. You're a tenured professor and head of the Physics Department at one of the world's best universities. You're one of the greatest scientists of our time. I'm sure the Nobel Committee for Physics will acknowledge your amazing work in the near future. It's just a question of time."

Penny paused for a few seconds before she continued to speak. "Without you I wouldn't have achieved all this. You were my rock in all those years, and you still are." She gave Leonard another kiss on the cheek. "Especially in the beginning, when you encouraged me and gave me the strength to stay with it. You always believed in me. You always supported me. And then one day, it was a few days after Easter 2008, I got a call back from a casting for a small but recurring role in this short-lived sitcom."

Leonard smiled and rubbed Penny's hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, and two years later this small role was the springboard to get casted as one of the main characters of the sitcom you are still in and that gave you your break."

Penny nodded. "A month ago we just started the production of season eight. It's unbelievable."

"Yeah," Leonard agreed. "This show really became a phenomenon. Not just here, but around the world."

"But I wonder why I never got real appreciation for my roles on the big screen," Penny asked herself.

Leonard shrugged. "Well, that movie you did with Ryan Gosling was great and you got rave reviews. I'm just glad you didn't cheat on me, while you were on location with him," he chuckled.

Penny slapped him on the shoulder. "How can you even think that?" she pouted.

"I'm just kidding," Leonard grinned. "And besides you would have to pay me big time, since we don't have a pre-nup."

Penny suddenly became serious. "I would never cheat on you. I would never break your heart. You know that, right?"

Leonard saw the sudden mood change. He put the photo album aside and gingerly pulled Penny from the armrest she was sitting on to his lap. While she linked her hands behind his neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked deeply into her beautiful green eyes. "Babe, I was just kidding. Of course I know that. And I would never do something like this to you either. On the day you came into my life and I laid my eyes on you for the first time, I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. I love you."

Penny smiled and kissed him softly. "I love you, too."

Leonard picked up the photo album again and together they continued to walk down memory lane, looking at all the photos from the road trip ten years ago. They had to laugh heartily quite a few times, especially when they looked at the pictures Leonard took of Howard and Raj's hangover aftermaths. Twenty minutes later he closed the album. "And ten years later we sit here in this big house in Los Angeles."

Penny grinned. "And it's a good thing we have this big house."

"Yes, having enough space is really a good thing," Leonard said matter-of-factly.

"That's not what I meant," Penny winked.

Leonard looked at her a bit confused. "What do you...?" Then it hit him. "Oh my god, Penny. Are you...?"

Penny nodded with a smile on her face. "I know it since yesterday. My gynecologist confirmed it. I wanted to surprise you during our anniversary dinner tonight, but I can't wait any longer." Tears of joy welled up in her eyes. "Yes, Leonard. I'm pregnant. Are you happy?" she asked him.

"I'm the happiest man on earth," Leonard answered. His eyes had already become moist, as soon as Penny nodded after he couldn't finish his question. He hugged and squeezed his wife, who still sat in his lap. Then they looked at each other, smiling and with tears running down their cheeks. Moments later their lips met and they kissed. Leonard and Penny had tried to get a baby for quite some time, but to no avail. The time of negative pregnancy tests was over now. Penny was finally expecting.

Looking into Penny's gorgeous green eyes, that shone like never before, Leonard could hardly believe his luck. "Here I sit, happy as never before, with a wonderful wife who is carrying a new life inside of her."

Penny gently wiped away the happy tears on Leonard's face with her thumb, fascinated by the enarmored look in his wonderful brown eyes. "And I couldn't be happier either," she smiled. "We are going to be parents."

Leonard cupped Penny's cheek with the palm of his hand. "And we will be amazing parents."

"We will. I love you, Leonard."

"I love you too, Penny."

They remained seated in the armchair, holding each other in a tender embrace. Penny's head rested on Leonard's shoulder, while he gently stroked her belly, that held a new life.

Penny pulled away her head from Leonard's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "How did we get so incredibly lucky?"

Leonard looked at the photo album of the road trip on the table next to him. "It all started with a stone that was spun by a truck and hit the windshield of a rental car. An annoyance that turned out to be a lucky coincidence." Then he turned to his wife and kissed her.

Happy as never before, Leonard and Penny looked forward to a new chapter in their life together as husband and wife.

The End.

A/N: While this story came to an end with this chapter, there's a possibility I write further stories in the future that will refer to this one, exploring some things, that were just addressed briefly. But there are also a few ideas for completely new stories floating around in my head. I don't know what I will pick up next, but I will definitely return. I think there can never be enough Lenny stories. :-)

Thanks to all who took the time to read my story and special thanks to all who reviewed. The kind reviews you left for me made me really happy and were a big encouragement, not just to keep writing this story, but for writing further stories in the future. So again, thank you very much for reading and/or reviewing. You guys are great!

See you soon!