Disclaimer: As you know, I certainly do not own TBBT.

Penny was seething with annoyance. She couldn't help herself; she wanted to corner the doctor. So, she went onto the internet, and after a few minutes on Google, she found the phone number to his office at the hospital. She wasn't sure if he was working today, but it didn't hurt to give it a try.

She dialed the number and a perky, yet stern voice answered on the other end. "Dr. Cooper's office. How may I help you?"

"Hello, I was wondering if I could make an appointment with Dr. Cooper."

"Okay, what is the child's name and referring doctor?"

She sighed. "Oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean a medical appointment. I meant a personal visit. That is, if he has some free time in the next couple of days."

"Well, let me see…"

Either the woman had unsuccessfully covered the phone with her hand, or she thought she put the phone on hold and hadn't, because Penny could hear her talking with someone else, and it was about her.

Molly, does Dr. Cooper have any free time today or tomorrow?...A personal appointment…yes, I think it is one of his women…

Her eyes went wide at this. One of his women? She knew that logically, she had no right to be angry. After all she was an other woman. Why would she have justification to be upset if he had other other women? Yet, she felt sick to her stomach.

Yes, perhaps that is the best idea…I will tell her.

"Miss?" the voice returned.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Cooper is very busy. Perhaps I could give him your number and he could call you back? Or you could contact him at his personal number?"

"Oh, yeah, I see." A thought popped into her head. "But, just so you know, this isn't one of his women. This is…his son's girlfriend."

"Michael? Michael's girlfriend?"

"That's right."

"Well, he did have 20 minutes set aside for a conference call that got cancelled…"

"That's fine!" Penny jumped on it. "It will be a quick visit."

"I suppose I can pencil you in."

"Thank you. And, I was hoping to keep this a surprise, so if you could not tell him who his appointment is with, I'd appreciate it."

"Okay, dear. Name?"

"Penelope."

"Okay, can you come by at 2:15 Penelope?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

...

The frustration she had felt before had slightly lessened. Only now, she felt a combination of frustration, anxiety about how she was going to confront him, and heartbreak at the idea that he was a serial cheater.

She made her way through the hospital to the pediatric wing. She presented herself to the receptionist, who led her to Dr. Cooper's office door. The woman knocked and went ahead of her.

"Your 2:15 is here, sir."

"Send them in" she heard his voice.

The receptionist stood in the doorway and motioned for her to enter. Penny strode confidently in the room. If he was surprised by her presence, his expression certainly didn't register it.

"Dr. Cooper," she said with purpose.

"Yes, please, sit down," he gestured to a chair. She sat, heard the door shut behind her, and the lady was gone.

She sat and glared at him. He responded with a look of nothing more than professional courtesy. "What may I help you with today, Miss McKinnon?"

"You are a very hard doctor to get an appointment with, you know that?" She tried to restrain her anger, but it crept into her voice.

"Am I?"

"Yes, apparently, if you are one of Dr. Cooper's women, the staff isn't quite as helpful."

His eyes softened toward her. "You don't believe that, do you?"

She just glowered at him as a response.

"Darling, those women have no idea what they are talking about. They are gossip queens. They make up these ideas in their heads…and they run with them."

"Really?" She didn't try to hide the disbelief in her voice. "They just make those things up based on nothing at all?"

He pondered for a moment. "I really can't think of anything, no. Well…" he added.

"Ah, there's a well."

"No, it's nothing," he waved his hand flippantly.

She stared at him, waiting expectantly.

"Well, it must be seven years ago or so now. My ex-wife Cathy worked downtown here. We remained friendly as I told you. For a couple of weeks, she came by my office nearly every day I was in. She would bring lunch in for us."

"Okay?" Penny's expression was harsh.

"You see, Michael was graduating from college, in addition to preparing for his move to Portland. We were getting together to coordinate a surprise celebration for him. We were planning a big party for extended family and friends. Then the immediate family- myself and Lana, as well as Cathy, her husband Danny, and their other kids, and Michael of course- would be departing for a celebratory vacation to Hawaii."

Briefly, she forgot her anger with him, and found herself dreaming of a vacation in sunny Hawaii.

He spoke and shook her out of her vision. "There were a great number of details to hash out, as it were. She came by maybe a total of six times, within a two week period. We were both working downtown, and it was just easier to meet for lunch. But, she always came without an appointment, and I suspected that bothered them.

And, a few years ago, after my father had passed, my sister called me at work every day or every other day for several weeks. When they came to tell me 'Missy called,' they always said her name a little bitterly, now that I think about it, accusingly? My sister is a lovely woman, by Western standards that is. There was a good amount of paperwork to deal with, in regards to my father's estate. So, one day, she came by my office with our father's attorney. And, she never called me at work again. Hmm…I suppose that could seem suspicious."

"It could."

"Other than that, there have been a few women here and there that have visited me for meetings, but not an unusual number by any means."

Penny was thinking. "Even after you clarified the misunderstanding with Cathy and Missy, they still continued to be suspicious?"

"Clarified? My personal dealings are none of their business. I never told them who they were or why they contacted me. And, they never asked. Had they asked, I would have answered them honestly."

Everything clicked into place. "Ohhh...so you have one of those offices. Kind of like, 'Don't ask, don't tell,' right?"

"I suppose the metaphor is close."

"Well, Dr. Cooper, a lot of the times when women, especially women pre-disposed to gossiping, are not told details or facts about something, they assume it is because you have something to hide. Then, as you said, they run with it."

"I see."

"No one's at fault. It was a simple misunderstanding. You should have told them who and why women were coming by your office unannounced or calling all the time. And, they should have asked before assuming."

"I suppose from now on, I will try to be more transparent with them. I will also assure them that asking questions of me isn't completely prohibited, so to prevent confusion."

"I think that's a good idea."

"I'm curious…who do they think you are, that you were able to get an appointment with me?"

Her resentment returned. "Yes, let's discuss it, shall we? I happened to get a phone call last night."

"Oh, did you?" Dr. Cooper did not seem surprised and was avoiding her gaze.

"You know I did. It was your son, asking me out on a date."

"I see. And how'd that go?"

"I told him I'd think about it," she said through clenched teeth. "But, here is the funny part. I was shocked when he told me he got my phone number from his dad. His dad!" Her hands were gesticulating wildly as she spoke.

"And have you thought about it?"

She looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Did he not wonder how you had my number in the first place?"

"Miss McKinnon, if you could compose yourself long enough to hear the entire story, may I start at the beginning?"

She nodded, but was not amused.

"I spoke to Michael the other evening; most of our conversation centered around his impending move. Toward the end, he asked if I could ask my wife to contact her old friend to get the number of 'the blonde from the theater.' At that particular moment, I was so stunned, I didn't know how to react, so I just said that I would see what I could do, and left it at that."

She spoke in her calmest voice. "Okay, then why not the next time he asked about it just say that you left a message and hadn't heard back yet?"

He shook his head. "That would only delay the inevitable. He would expect an answer at some point."

"Then why not say that Lana called and my parents said I was already seeing someone?"

"I was afraid that would twist things around even worse. If he said anything to her about getting your phone number, and she had no clue what he was talking about, I would have even more explaining to do. Plus, I was kind of hoping you would just tell him yourself."

"Okay fine. But, after all that, why didn't you call me and warn me? At least, you could have prepared me for what was coming."

The doctor was speechless.

The gears clicked into place in Penny's brain. "You wanted him to call me. You wanted to see what my reaction would be. You wanted to test me."

"No," he said firmly. Then much more quietly, he added, "I think it may not be such a bad thing if you and Michael were to date."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"

"You would be great for him; and I think he would be really good for you, too. I've always wanted my son to have the very best. And, you are the very best."

She stood and willed the tears back down. She would have time to cry later. "What…what about us?"

"What about us?" Dr. Cooper asked dismissively.

She could feel a dagger being thrust into her stomach. "So, you don't want to see me anymore?" She could barely speak.

"Who said anything about not seeing each other? This way, we will probably see even more of each other. And, I see no reason why our relationship has to change. I still feel the same way about you."

"Are you crazy?!" she shouted.

At this he stood, and his voice was a snarl. "Miss McKinnon, I assure you, this hospital has strict protocol on the mental capacity of their medical staff, especially physicians. I have been tested, and no, I am not crazy."

He walked around his desk to face her. He still maintained a small distance, but he wanted her to know of his intimate feelings toward her.

"Okay, I can almost buy you cheating on your wife, because you explained to me the extenuating circumstances. I know it's not right, but it's not as terrible as it could be. But, for you to knowingly get your own son into a relationship destined for failure, that's just…it's not the right thing to do."

"I don't know it's destined for failure."

"But, you do know that you will be sleeping with your son's girlfriend. That certainly won't help."

For the first time in the conversation, he seems to show some emotion. "Is that all it is? Sleeping together? If so, I suppose I made the correct choice in giving him your contact information."

"You know it's not," she answered quietly. But, her volume came back as she spoke further. "But, you do realize how messed up this is, right? You cheating on your wife with a woman who is cheating on her boyfriend…who happens to be your son?"

"It seemed logical to me. I thought if anything, we would get to be around each other more, each other's families. It would be a natural progression. And, if you and Michael do crash and burn, as I suspect, perhaps by then, I will be free to…"

She couldn't believe how detached he was being about the whole situation.

"You're unbelievable!" she interrupted him, shouting. She stalked toward the door, and as he came closer, she held up her hand, warning him to not follow her. "Don't even try talking to me. Just don't."

She walked with purpose down the hospital corridors with her head held high, even though every part of her wanted to crumble into pieces.

Sheldon was mildly surprised when Michael and Penelope started dating a short time later. He shouldn't have been; after all, he was the one that pushed them together. And, as he predicted, it led to seeing her a lot more.

Michael was still torn between renting a condo or buying his own home. If he chose the latter, he would need to live with his parents for at least four or five months, to save up for the down payment. So, until he saved up a down payment or made the decision to rent, he would be staying with his parents. Which was fine by all involved.

Penelope was at his house quite a bit. Occasionally, his son would go over to the McKinnons or they would have an evening out. But, more often than not, their time together was spent at their home. Sheldon found himself working a lot of late nights.

He hadn't told her the entire truth at the hospital, regarding giving his son her contact information. He hadn't lied, persay, but he had left out some critical information. He thought that someday, maybe he would share the whole story with her. Maybe on her wedding day.

Take out was a staple in the Cooper household, mainly due to his wife's not being able to, or at least refusal to cook. Their meals together were full of chatter, thoughts from the day. He and Penelope were always the quietest. But, because it was already in their nature, neither Lana nor Michael seemed to notice.

Eye contact between the two was frequent. In the beginning, Penelope's were filled with deep sadness and he in turn, attempted to fill his with the regret he felt. Then, as things seemed to thaw between them, their eyes would twinkle, at some inside joke or something the other two would say that reminded them of their time together. During those moments, each one would have the tiniest of smiles on their lips, one that only the other could see. And then, one day, she was looking at him with a stare that he was not unfamiliar with, one that he had seen a number of times during their relationship: longing. He would find out later, from his wife no less, that when looking at his son's girlfriend, his eyes would deepen into a dark blue.

One night, while laying in bed with his wife, preparing to go to sleep, she had taken off her glasses and laid them on the night stand. "I don't think you like Michael's girl very much, do you?" she had asked.

"What?"

"It's just that, when you look at her, your eyes go dark, maybe anger or jealousy that she seems to spend more time with your son than you do? Just a thought."

Lana didn't like Penelope much, but they never talked about it. She never said she didn't like the girl, but she never said she did, and that fact spoke volumes. While she tolerated her when she was around, and never mentioned her in a bad way, Sheldon could tell that his wife dismissed the girl as a passing dalliance. This seemed odd to him, as she had nothing but good things to say about her parents.

He would never forget how he felt the morning he came back from grabbing the newspaper from the driveway, and saw her walking down the stairs, yawning. She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the night before, but they were disheveled.

He couldn't breathe. He felt a set of invisible hands strangling him into a slow, cruel, painful death.

It wasn't until later when he went upstairs to wake his son that he saw a second guest room had been occupied. The room at the end of the hall's bed was unmade, and as he poked his head in, he took in her unmistakable perfume. He felt very relieved and grateful.

And, he definitely hadn't been prepared for what had come next. When he woke Michael up, after a minute of him coming to, he sat up. Sheldon's cheeks flushed when he noticed his son's body awakening as well, and he grabbed a pillow to cover himself. "Gah, Dad, I'm sorry!"

His son was appropriately embarrassed, but it was a natural bodily response. "You are a grown man. These things happen, from time to time."

Michael had asked his father to shut the door, which he did. "I think I know why this happened," he spoke in hushed tones. "I got up to go to the bathroom last night. Well, I was down by Penny's room, and I heard her. I thought she was on the phone or something, so I stopped to listen for just a little bit."

The younger man's eyes went wide as he talked. "I heard the mattress, um, shifting. And, she was making these little noises. Gasps and squeaks." The two men's eyes held each other. Michael seemed to be making sure his father understood what he was saying. "Then, get this. As she…um, released her…tensions I guess you could say, I could hear a muffled groan. But, then she said. 'Oh, Dr. Cooper.' Then I heard her breathing really hard."

Sheldon could only gulp down this new information.

"So, either she has taken to calling me Dr. Cooper, which I wouldn't mind by the way," his son waggled his eyebrows, "I'm hearing things, or I'm having some crazy dreams." Then, he added as an afterthought and clearly a joke as he could barely say it without laughing, "Or, she's having some dirty thoughts about you."

His son erupted into laughter.

He forced a smile, and tried to fight off the thoughts that were invading his mind.

It was too late. The damage had been done.

JoAnna McKinnon looked up from the counter where she was mixing up biscuit dough for her chicken pot pie. She watched her daughter and new boyfriend as they worked. They were cooperatively chopping up vegetables at the dining room table. They sat side by side and talked, but it just wasn't all that romantic.

Jo thought the relationship was very strange. They weren't really affectionate. They didn't talk lovingly to each other. They didn't go out on dates very often. Heck, even when he was at the symphony, they hardly spoke to each other, just a quick hello before going their separate ways. But, they spent a decent amount of time together, so it must be somewhat serious, she reasoned.

She liked the boy; she just wasn't sure if Penny liked the boy. She rarely even talked about him. She didn't talk about how much she liked him, how handsome he was, what she liked about him, what their dates were like, if he was a good kisser, and on and on. Jo had waited years for her Penny to get a boyfriend, so they could have some girl talk. But, now that she had one, her normally open and straightforward daughter had closed herself off.

The woman knew, however, that Penny had been acting strange long before her relationship started. But, she thought back to the first time Michael had come over for Sunday dinner.

She had asked him how long he had been in town, and when he answered, she did the math. Whoever it was that Gloria VanLue had seen, it wasn't him. This gave her more questions than answers. Had Penny been seeing someone else before this boy? And was it so casual, that she was able to move on from it so quickly? Her daughter had always been adamant that she was not interested in casual dating. And when she had suggested Chris Rosenbaum as a possible dating partner, she had insisted she wasn't interested in a relationship.

And now, not only may she have had a secret boyfriend, but she may have had a secret hook-up?

Before he had left, Michael had thanked them for being willing to give his step-mother their daughter's phone number, that he really appreciated it. She simply nodded at the time, but was completely perplexed when she had asked her husband about it later, and he assured her that he didn't give anyone Penny's number. And, she knew she hadn't.

Between Penny and Michael's less than couple-y actions, her daughter's odd behavior over the last few months, and the mystery of the phone number, Jo had a sinking feeling. Things were just not adding up.