"What is going on here?"

Penny awoke with a start, shooting up in bed in a slight panic to find Zoe standing at the end of the bed, arms crossed and eyebrow raised over a gaze fixed on her parents. It took Penny a moment to remember where she was, when she did she rolled her eyes and rolled over.

"Sweety," she said again, patting Sheldon's arm. He didn't respond.

"Sweety," she repeated a little louder and shaking him hard. Penny yelped slightly when Sheldon shot up in bed.

"Danger…danger…" he looked around in a panic before he noticed Zoe and then he looked very embarrassed.

"Don't worry daddy," said Zoe. "She's done much worse with much stupider."

Penny threw her pillow at Zoe who yelped and dropped to the floor, dodging it.

"Well, maybe I won't share the delicious French toast I made," she said with a laugh. She turned and skipped out of the room leaving the two of them alone.

"We may benefit by installing a lock on the door for future use," said Sheldon getting out of bed and shuffling to the bathroom.

Penny lay her head back down on the pillow for a moment, a small smile playing at her lips basking in the glow of that one word…"future."

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That day Zoe accompanied Sheldon to work as Penny was up to her ears in stress. She was now running a store on her own, while simultaneously going through a bitter divorce, one that was working out in her favor. Jake was quickly finding he had little to no case, and his ruthless attempts to paint Penny as an adulterous devil of a mother were falling through. All the same, it was dragging on, causing Penny more stress than either Zoe or Sheldon cared to see her in.

And it was by no means a burden for Sheldon to have Zoe around. He was working busily at his board while she was reading a comic book at his desk. It was quiet and peaceful.

"You should take mommy on a date," said Zoe, not looking up from the pages of her comic book. Sheldon did not immediately respond, he stood staring at the board and then capped his marker and set it aside.

"Why do you suppose that?"

"Because she's working all the time and stressed out. It would make her feel better. I doubt that I will ever find significant joy from heels and a dress but I know mommy does. Plus, Jake didn't take her out much except for when he wanted to show off to his friends. So I think she'd like it."

Sheldon paused to consider this for a moment.

"Do you think she'll say yes," he finally asked, slightly nervous.

"Yes daddy," she said patiently, as she sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes you both can be so dumb."

Sheldon took a moment to look offended but continued to consider what Zoe was saying.

'Well," he said. "What should I do?"

"I don't know daddy, of the two of us you are the only one who has previous experience romancing my mother, so I would adhere to your expertise."

Sheldon thought for a moment, Zoe could see the wheels in his head start turning.

"Alright," he said. "Come along."

"Where are we going," asked Zoe jumping down from her seat.

"We have some work to do."

Sheldon and Zoe left the office, unfinished equations abandoned…some things were more important.

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Penny came in that night exhausted, dropping her bag by the door and kicking off her shoes, she did not have a moment to breathe before Zoe ran out into the living room.

"Mommy…mommy…" she said grabbing her hand. "Come along."

"Where are we going?"

"You're room, you have to get ready."

Penny allowed herself to be led to Sheldon's room, not putting up a fight.

"Ready for what"

Zoe didn't answer. She merely shut the door behind them. Penny didn't speak for a moment. On her bed was a beautiful new dress, a beautiful emerald green dress, and, best of all, a new pair of shoes that worked beautifully with the dress.

Zoe smiled as she watched her mother's face light up.

"Do you like it," asked Zoe.

Penny felt her voice choke in her throat.

"Yes," she said. "It's perfect."

Zoe smiled and nodded excitedly.

"Okay, we have to do your hair and your make-up! We don't have much time."

Penny didn't argue.

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Zoe waited patiently on the bed while her mother got ready. She was shocked when her mother appeared, looking beautiful after 10 minutes. Zoe beamed at her mother, who looked stunning in her new dress. Her mother could make herself look perfect in ten minutes, and people said Zoe was the genius.

"How do I look," asked Penny with a smile, twirling in front of her daughter.

"So beautiful mommy," she said, standing up. When the doorbell rang, Penny looked confused at Zoe who looked excited. The two of them left the room and went to the front door. Penny didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she opened the door. Sheldon was standing at the door, clothed in a suit, one that he remembered she had liked when they were dating.

"Umm…hi," said Penny.

"Hello," he said. He stood there, awkwardly for a moment, uncertain of what to do. "Do you…would you like to go on a date?"

Penny laughed happily and nodded.

"I would love to."

He sighed in relief, half expecting her to say no.

"Thank you for the dress and the shoes," said Penny. Sheldon looked her up in down in it. For some reason, this made her blush. She inwardly rolled her eyes, this man had put a baby in her and right now just a look from his was making her blush like a school girl.

He nodded.

"I thought you might like it better then flowers."

"You were right."

The two stood awkwardly for a moment, neither of them certain how to proceed.

God, thought Penny. It's just like a first date, with all the awkwardness.

"Well I suppose we should be going," he said. "I made reservations."

"What about Zoe," asked Penny.

"Oh yes," said Penny, he stuck his head out the door and whistled.

"We are not dogs," came Howard's irritated voice from outside. Penny heard shuffling feet from behind Sheldon as the three nerds came up the stairs, Howard holding boxes of pizza.

"I have baby-sitters."

"Yeah, free baby-sitters," said Howard grumpily.

"Thank you guys," said Penny with a grateful smile.

Leonard smiled and nodded at her.

"You guys have a good time."

"We shall," said Sheldon. "Now come along."

Penny naturally slid her arm through his and allowed him to lead her toward the door.

"Oh I forgot something," said Howard turning toward Penny and taking her free hand in his and giving her a kiss on the hand. "May I say fair Penny, child or not your ass has never looked better."

Sheldon glared angrily at him, but Penny seemed almost pleased as she looked over her shoulder.

"Ahh thanks Howard," she said before her face grew serious. "But if you don't stop looking at my ass I am going to have to bust a cap in yours."

He backed away palms up in surrender.

Sheldon did not look amused as he led Penny out the door, when the door was closed Sheldon turned to Penny and looked her up and down once again.

"You do look perfect," he said. It was less a compliment then a mere statement of fact, which made her appreciate it even more. Penny grinned up at him and gently felt the fabric of his suit.

"You clean up good yourself, Dr. Cooper."

Sheldon looked cast his eyes down in embarrassment.

"Now come on," said Penny, pulling him toward the car with giddy excitement.

00000000000000000000

"People still do it Penny."

Penny looked up from her menu to see what he was talking about.

"Do what sweety?"

"Did you see the look both the valet and the host gave us when we arrived?"

"I did not," she said looking over the menu.

"It was disbelief as if I had no business being with you."

Penny smiled and lay her menu down.

"Did you think maybe they were thinking , "What's the dumb blonde doing with that beautiful-mind-genius-guy?"'

"…you aren't dumb Penny."

"And you are sexy in your charcoal suit, so what's the problem?"

Sheldon looked down, once again embarrassed.

"Anyway, I hardly have enough hope in the future that someone would recognize me on sight."

"Zoe did," she said.

"Yes well she's exceptional."

"She is isn't she," she said with a nod.

"…Hello, welcome to Café Spinoza's, my name is John and I…"

His voice faltered as he looked at them.

"See," said Sheldon, looking at Penny annoyed.

"Oh…my…god…" said the waiter, looking at Sheldon with utter glee in his eyes. "You…you are Dr. Sheldon Cooper, right?"

Sheldon looked at him, confused.

"Why, yes I am…but how did…"

"I'm a grad student, I just got accepted into Cal Tech. I picked Cal Tech because of you. I am such a huge fan, I've read everything you've ever written, all of your experiments…"

Penny laughed aloud as he did a little leap of excitement.

"Why thank you," said Sheldon, flustered and surprised.

"Would you like an autograph," asked Penny, turning her glowing smile from John to Sheldon.

"Could I?"

John handed him a pen and Sheldon scrawled his name onto the napkin on the table.

"Oh, I am sorry," he said. "I used this napkin already."

John snatched the napkin up.

"No this is perfect."

Penny looked at John sweetly.

"Now all you need is some healthy ovum and you can grow your own Sheldon Cooper."

John was speechless as he ran from the table holding the napkin closely.

"That kid is one step away from chopping off his own ear and sending it to you in the mail," said Penny with a laugh.

Sheldon was still enjoying the appreciation, but suddenly his face fell.

"Oh drat," he said. "He didn't take my order."

000000000000000000000

John returned in a much more professional state, took their order in fine fashion and the night progressed wonderfully. They made conversation, she asked about his work, he asked about Zoe.

It felt like a first date between people who had known each other for years, but, despite the lovely setting and the delicious food and her deep love for the man sitting across from her, Penny had feeling clawing at her contentedness, a nagging question that she had carried with her for years and one that she felt she deserved an answer too.

"Penny…Penny…"

Penny heard Sheldon's voice breaking through her reverie.

"Yes sweety?"

"I sense a change in the conversational climate."

Penny didn't want to bring it up, it was such a nice night, but she didn't know when she would get another chance and she needed to know.

"I…just…It doesn't…"

Sheldon watched as she stumbled over her question, and he, for once, knew exactly what she was going to say.

"I know this is kind of coming out of nowhere but I really, I just really need to ask you something and I want an honest answer."

"Penny," he said. "You know I am incapable of providing any other kind of answer."

"Yes," she said with a laugh, that was a part of what she was afraid of. "Well, what exactly would you say…happened…between us?"

Sheldon considered this question thoughtfully for a moment. He knew he would owe her an explanation for this at some point.

"I don't really know Penny," he said, the words tasting bitter. "I suppose we were what the world would call "in love." And then one day we weren't."

Penny nodded, looking down for a moment quickly collecting herself and the emotional response his words caused.

"You…Sheldon," she said, trying not to sound harsh. "You, not us. I was still in it, you knew that."

Sheldon nodded, feeling the shame creep up once again. Penny had never tried to make him feel bad about what had happened, she wasn't now, she just wanted answers, and he was ashamed to find he didn't really have one.

"I felt...suffocated," he finally said.

"Why? I don't understand. I stuck to your schedule, I never pressured you into anything, I never even talked about marriage, and Zoe, we were on the pill and it just happened."

"I know all of this Penny," he said. "I wish I had a good explanation for my behavior but I don't."

Penny nodded, falling back into her chair and looking away from him.

"…But," he continued, his voice making her look at him. "I can tell you that it is one of the few decisions I have ever made where I did not even remotely weigh the consequences accurately. I made the wrong choice to let you leave. I was…" his voice caught in his throat again, he had never said it before but if he ever was going to now was the time. "I was…" Penny watched concerned as he twitched like a frog in a lab experiment. "I was st…stupid."

No one else would know how much that meant to Penny. It was the best way Sheldon could ever apologize. She looked at him for a moment and then burst into laughter.

Sheldon looked at her confused and around the café, uncertain of how to interpret all the different emotions. When she stopped, she smiled at him and shook her head.

"Man, you are something else Dr. Cooper."

"Something else? What else would I be?"

"I don't know," said Penny. "But we, sir, are a mess."

He looked down at himself.

"Speak for yourself, I am quite put together."

Penny took a sip of the lovely wine and pondered their situation for a moment, and how she even ended up here it was so…weird. But things with Sheldon normally were.

"I would like to broach a related topic if you would allow me to," Sheldon said carefully, suddenly becoming nervous.

"Of course," said Penny, smiling encouragingly.

"Well, as you must know by now, how much I do regret my decision, and how I have developed feelings natural to a male animal to want to protect his offspring and the mother of his offspring, and how much I simply do enjoy having the two of you in my life, I was…I was wondering if, perhaps, we should…or what you would think of the two of us…revisiting our past romantic attachment."

Penny would have denied it if someone had asked her if her heart leapt at hearing those words. But she wanted to respond immediately, she wanted to say yes and start there family again. It sounded perfect…but she had thought that before too. She knew he had changed, but she needed a little bit more time.

'Look, Sheldon, I…."

"Of course," said Sheldon, trying to recover and feeling completely foolish. "I figured as much considering how I behaved in the past, I just thought…."

"Dammit Sheldon," she said with a laugh. "Shut-up and let me talk!"

He immediately obeyed, closing his mouth and looking at her.

"Thank-you. Look, I have yet to finalize my divorce with Jake and once all that blows over I want time for us just to do what we are doing now, to hang out and get to know each other again, because I know I am very different now than I was then and I think you are too and I just, I don't want to mess this up again. I don't think Zoe or I could take."

Sheldon nodded in understanding and waited for her to continue.

"But I can promise you, I won't be dating anyone else, and us getting back together is not at all off the table but, in the mean time, let's just be a mother and father who love their child dearly and who are trying to get to know each other again."

Sheldon let her words sink in and considered them thoughtfully. He should have known this would be what she wanted, and he needed to hear it. She just wasn't someone who he could kick out of his life and then whistle for her and she comes back…not that that was what he was doing at all, but understood her reservation. It was out of concern for her child and herself.

"That sounds acceptable," he said with a nod.

She smiled brightly at him and covered his hand with hers.

"Good…"she said, rubbing her thumb over the top of his hand. "And Sheldon…thanks for the best first date ever."

Sheldon's lips twitched into a smile, it was slightly smug but mostly pleased that he was able to do this for her.