Penny followed Sheldon and Charlie up the stairs, growing more and more nervous with each step. She unlocked her door and let the men carry the food inside. "Charlie, can you start setting the table? Sheldon, will you come with me? I want to talk to you about something."

The two men exchanged glances before doing as she asked. Penny walked back to her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Sheldon was pleased by the muted grays, blues and tans she had decorated the room in. She was still messy, the trashcan was threatening to overflow, and her dresser was cluttered with makeup, jewelry, tissues, candles, two empty glasses and papers.

Penny cleared her throat and twisted her hands together. "I've asked Leonard and Alex to take Raj out with them. And I've asked your mom to join us for dinner."

Sheldon twitched slightly. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? She is not very happy with either of us at the moment."

Penny sat down on her bed and nodded. She patted the space beside her as she organized her thoughts. "Sheldon, I know you love your mom. To be honest, I kind of like her, too. But unless we sit and talk, we're never going to find a compromise. She'll stay upset, and we'll have to tiptoe around her from now on."

Sheldon sat down beside her, careful not to crowd her. "She wants to see me wedded," he said softly. "She doesn't just want this child to have the Cooper name, she wants the assurance that I am settled, as well."

Penny nodded. "I can understand that. But I'm still pulling my life together. You are too. It's not easy, but we're doing it. I need to know where you stand in this."

Sheldon swallowed nervously and thought about his plans. He had an elegant plan worked out. He thought about what Charlie had said. He thought about the messages he and Penny had exchanged. For once in his life, he went with his gut.

"I understand that you do not love me. I understand that we are barely managing to hang on to simple friendship. The likelihood of us ending up together is very low. But that does not change the way I feel. I want you to be happy. I want us both to be happy. I want to be part of my child's life. I want to us to be in each other's lives. I am willing to compromise on a lot of things to make that happen." He looked Penny in the eye and lifted a hand to push her hair from her cheek. "I care about you very much."

Penny swallowed the lump in her throat. "Sheldon, I care about you, too. You and I have been a part of each other's lives for a long time. I don't want to lose that. No matter what happens, this is your child, too, and you have every right to be in her life. Your family, too. So, that's my stance."

Sheldon sighed and dropped his hand. "I understand. I am with you in this."

Penny smiled and loosely hugged him. "Thank you. Now, let's go have dinner."

Sheldon sat between Amy and Penny. Charlie sat between Amy and Mary. Penny looked around the table and reached for her water nervously. Ever since Mary had arrived twenty minutes ago, the only words spoken were hellos, and please pass the whatever.

Penny spread ketchup over her fries and looked at Mary. "Thank you for having dinner with us," she said to break the ice.

Mary turned from watching Sheldon assemble his bbq bacon cheeseburger. "Thank you for inviting me. I was surprised when Leonard told me you wanted me to come. After talking to Shelly earlier, I thought you both would try to avoid me."

Penny fiddled with her salad and took a couple of steadying breaths. "Mary, we want you to know that we want you to be involved with this baby's life. This is your grandchild. We aren't planning to avoid you."

Mary looked from Penny to Sheldon and back. "What are your plans? Have you talked about the wedding, yet?"

Sheldon wiped his mouth and shook his head. "Mom, we are having a child. It is not the middle ages. Pregnancy does not automatically entail marriage."

Mary's eyes narrowed. "Sheldon, I am sure Jesus would not appreciate your flippant tone."

Amy shook her head. "Mrs. Cooper, I can assure you that neither Sheldon nor Penny are flippant about this situation. They are both working very hard to be good friends and good parents."

Mary turned to Sheldon. "Shelly, what about the family name? Doesn't it bother you that your own child won't have your last name?"

Sheldon fidgeted nervously. Penny clenched her hands tightly. "Mary, I understand. I really do." Her eyes flashed with anger and Sheldon paled. "But you seem to forget that this is MY baby, as well. I'm trying to work with you here, but you need to meet me halfway."

Mary faced Penny fully. "From what I understand, you got my son drunk, and took advantage of him. So, you'll have to excuse me if I am more than a little biased here."

"Mom!" Sheldon looked between Mary and Penny worriedly. "Penny did nothing of the sort. I ordered those drinks myself. I don't remember much after that, but Penny did not get me drunk."

Penny shook her head. "I am not about to give up my freedom just because I got pregnant! I am not willing to marry Sheldon, or anyone else, just to conform to someone else's idea of proper behavior!"

"This is not about proper behavior. It's about morality," Mary insisted.

"Mary, you cannot force people to live by your beliefs," Charlie said calmly. "Penny and Sheldon are adults. They have their own beliefs and ideas. You have to respect that."

Mary slid her chair back and stood up. "Well, I guess we have nothing else to say."

Sheldon jumped to his feet. "Mom, please…"

Mary held up her hand. "Shelly, I love you. But this is way over your head. You need to let me handle this."

Penny stood slowly, and faced Mary. "Handle this? Handle what, exactly?" Sheldon reached out to grip Penny's hand, but she paid no attention to him. "You treat me like I do not matter in my own home? I invited you here, hoping we could all get along, and you look down your nose at me?" Penny's complexion became flushed as her temper boiled over. "Excuse me for not seeing you out," Penny bit out tightly. "I no longer feel well enough for company."

Everyone watched as Penny walked back toward her bedroom, head held high. As soon as she shut the door behind her, Mary headed for the front door. "Goodnight," was all she said as she exited the apartment.

A/N: Yes, Mary is a bit harsh in this world, but she's a Texan, a mom and deeply religious. She's used to a Sheldon who was lost in social situations, and she hasn't realized yet that he's a grown man capable of dealing with his life, himself.