In the usual way of me alternating in the updates my stories, here's a new one of the shorter one. Wrote it during my lunch breaks on Thursday and today :)
Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Still not mine
Disclaimer2: Using Penny's family again, a creation by TerribleWaitress
The present – 3 years and 4 months old:
Christmas dinner was a jovial affair. Chris entertained the rest of the family with his cheery mood, eating the dumplings Leonard made with a gusto that bordered on scary, almost as bad as Bridget in terms of amount, though Chris had much smaller stomach to fill. But Penny had to admit that her husband was an amazing cook when it came to stuff he knew how to make and she too was in the process of chewing on her twenty-second.
Apparently, Meryl had made enough potatoes for twenty people instead of the seven that were actually here, yet the plates with the stacked dumplings had emptied rapidly. Combined with the red cabbage and the meat, which Penny only ate a little of to not violate her vegetarianism too much, it ended up with them finally landing on the couches and armchairs in the living room, holding their stomachs and groaning.
"Mommy, I think I ate too much." Chris whined.
"Me too, dearest." she moaned. "Just breath slowly and try not to barf."
"We should try to sleep this off for a while." Bridget suggested.
Her suggestion was met with widespread approval and everyone pretty much fell asleep where they sat, except for Wyatt and Meryl who were cleaning up in the kitchen and chuckling at the sleeping family. Meryl walked out into the living room and looked at the image of two of her kids with their partners and her grandchild.
Bridget and Josh were slouched in the armchair together while Leonard and Penny cuddled on the couch, Chris draped over their laps, all snoring gently to one degree or the other. She grabbed her phone and took several pictures, some with all of them in them, others with only the specific couple. She was especially glad that it had worked out between Penny and Leonard, whose persistence in pursuing Penny had paid off and turned her daughter from someone with grandiose dreams but not enough talent into a loving mother with a good job.
Meryl had always believed that Penny would never really mature after moving to California to fully mature but now here she sat, wife to a respected scientist husband and mother of a genius child that they could almost watch growing up as he slept. She and Wyatt hadn't really believed when Penny told them about his exploits but after spending some time with that little boy, they had to admit that Chris was in fact a genius intellect in a small body.
"How long do we want them to keep them in their food coma?" Wyatt asked.
"An hour, tops." Meryl answered. "Otherwise we won't get to the gift giving and can send them right to bed."
"Alright. Wanna help me put the gifts under the tree?"
"Sure." Meryl nodded and they went to work, with their family oblivious to their actions.
An hour later, Meryl decided to wake them all up, less they sleep the entire evening away, even though it was still a beautiful picture the way they slept. She put cups of hot chocolate in everybody's hands, a small one for Chris who thanked her happily, causing Meryl to smile warmly at her grandson who seemed to be unable to get perturbed by anything.
"How long did we sleep?" Penny asked.
"About an hour." Wyatt replied. "Looked cute though, your mom took pictures."
"Really? Show me." Penny demanded giddily, taking the phone from her mother. "Oh look Leonard, this looks so cute."
"It does." he agreed. "Copy it."
"Done." she said. "Bridget, how can you sleep an hour in that position and not have your back hurt after that time?"
"What?" her sister asked and Penny showed her the picture of her sleeping in her partner's lap. "I don't know, used to it I guess." she added with a grin.
"You guys awake enough for the gift giving part?" Meryl asked the group.
"Yay." Chris giggled and jumped up before running the six feet to the Christmas tree.
Penny smiled at her boy's enthusiasm and followed him to the tree, sitting down behind him and pulling him back to sit between her legs. Leonard and the rest also joined them, kneeling or sitting down next to the tree with only Wyatt staying on the couch. As per the agreement, Penny and Leonard didn't give each other a gift, the same with the other couples.
Leonard and Penny gave their gifts to her parents and sibling, watching their reactions as the others unpacked them. For her parents, they had given them a fully paid brand new washing machine that barely used any water or energy, since their old one was on the verge of total failure, which would help alleviate some of the household costs.
Bridget and Josh had gotten a new fondue set, Penny having remembered what her sister had told her about the last time they tried to have friends over making fondue, which had led to them having to clean their living room when the pot fatally broke and distributed a large amount of melted cheese on the carpet and walls.
Meryl and Wyatt's gift to Chris had brought tears to Penny's eyes. It was a gift certificate of sorts, promising a horse of his own as soon as he was old enough to ride one without constant supervision.
"Okay, honey, I know we promised not to give each other presents this year, but I got you something." Josh spoke up after all the presents were opened.
"Really?" Bridget asked. "What is it?"
"Here." Josh hesitated, clearly anxious and handed her a rather large box.
Bridget looked suspicious and unwrapped the box, opening it to find the top filled with styrofoam peanuts. She rummaged inside and found a smaller, much more beautiful box, also gift wrapped, which she then opened to reveal more peanuts and another smaller box. Penny saw the size of the last gift box and squealed quietly, realizing what might be in there. Bridget delicately opened the last box, revealing a velvet box, which she opened open-mouthed to reveal a stunning ring, a gold band with an emerald on top, surrounded by eight tiny diamonds.
"Oh my god!" Penny squealed, barely able to contain herself as Josh knelt before her sister.
"Bridget, from the moment you took my hand during that night we first met, I felt drawn to you like a moth to the flame. When I think about the future, I can't imagine you not being in it. I see us as two trees next to each other, our roots linking together forever and someday our children growing around us. They say happiness is greater when you can share it with someone. Will you be the one for me?"
"Yes!" was Bridget's teary reply before she hugged him after he had slipped the ring on her finger.
"You go son!" Wyatt roared approvingly as they kissed.
"I guess we all need earplugs tonight." Penny whispered into Leonard's ear after a few minutes of her sister and her now fiance kissing without pause.
"Wow." Bridget gushed and wiped the tears from her face. "For how long did you plan this?"
"Well, I had the actual thought for a while now but that I did it tonight was all thanks to Leonard." Josh replied, pointing to the husband of his his soon-to-be sister-in-law.
"This Leonard?" Penny asked shocked, holding his shoulder.
"Hey!" Leonard objected. "I think we have already established that I'm he bigger romantic in this relationship."
"Anyway, Leonard made me aware that you already sent lots of signs." Josh continued. "So, I decided to take a gamble."
"Leonard to the rescue." Leonard grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, smug bastard." Penny smiled and kissed him deeply before turning back to her sister. "And now you two can set a date that's a perfect fit for her ovulation calendar, then you can make that first child on your wedding night."
"Always nice to hear things like that." Wyatt groaned, to the laughter of the rest.
"Well, my boy has to go to bed now." Penny proclaimed and picked up her son, who had gotten sleepy during the last few minutes, the food inside him finally taking its toll.
"We're heading to bed soon too." Wyatt said. "The animals don't care for our holidays."
"Grandpa, can we ride the tractor tomorrow?" Chris asked.
"Sure, if your mother is okay with it and if there's not too much snow."
"Fine, but no speeding." Penny said sternly, looking at her dad.
"There was only one family member who constantly sped in the tractor and it wasn't me." her dad looked right back at her, making Penny blush.
With that, the family split up and moved to their respective rooms. True to Penny's predictions, they pondered about using earplugs, since her old room was right next to Bridget's, where the newly engaged couple continued to let the bed springs squeal in protest. Luckily, Chris was in another room further down, so he didn't have to hear it and wonder why everyone in his parent's family apparently enjoyed jumping on the bed.
The past: 3 years and 9 months ago:
"No, I wont let you!" Sheldon shouted and barred the apartment door.
"Sheldon, move aside." Leonard sighed, having expected this reaction.
"You will not move out. The roommate agreement forbids it."
"But when he moves out, he's no longer your roommate, so the agreement is void anyway." Penny said from behind them, holding one of Leonard's boxes with clothes.
"What about the couch? You can't leave and take away my spot."
"I give you eternal ownership of the couch." Leonard smirked.
"Who will drive me to work?" Sheldon tried once more.
"Amy." Leonard replied.
"Or the bus." Penny added.
"Who will steal my food and use my WiFi connection?"
"Nobody." Leonard shrugged.
"Oh, wait, that's actually a good thing." Sheldon realized. "But you leaving upsets my life way too much."
"Sheldon, this isn't about you." Penny ssighed.
"Just for the sake of argument, what is your proposal?" Leonard asked.
"Easy. Penny gets an abortion and you two split up. Then she can live across the hall again, has sex with countless men while Leonard stays single and caters to my needs." Sheldon stated as if it would be the most normal thing to do that.
"Are you..." Leonard started but was interrupted.
"OW!" Sheldon shouted when Penny's half empty water bottle connected with his head.
"If you don't get out of the way, I'm going to throw you headfirst into the dumpster downstairs." Penny growled and Sheldon wisely fled up the stairs.
"That was so hot." Leonard chuckled.
"Boy, am I glad we managed to bring most of your stuff to the house already when Sheldon wasn't home." she grinned and followed him downstairs.
"To your credit, that was mostly you while I distracted him at work." he nodded. "But tell me the truth please, how many of my clothes landed in the trash or at the Red Cross?"
"Most of your old shirts. And the corduroy suit." she replied calmly.
"Ah, so I guess a shopping trip is in order." he sighed.
"Oh you bet, my love." she said and stopped to kiss him before continuing downstairs where they put the last boxes into the car and she noticed him looking up to his old window. "What is it?"
"I'm worried about Sheldon. I expected some reaction but that was a bit much."
"So what? You want to move back in?"
"Of course not." he shook his head. "I want to live with my wife and with my soon-to-be born child. But I'm concerned that he might do something stupid"
"Like what?"
"I almost expect him to show up at our house at one point, squatting in one of the empty bedrooms."
"If he does that, I pull him out of the house by his ears." she said resolutely. "Now come on, I'm getting hungry."
"Already? We just ate an hour ago."
"Hey, pregnant wife here." she pouted. "I'm eating for two."
"As long as you don't vomit it back out." he grinned.
"Hey! That happened once in the last two weeks." she complained.
"Yeah, but it was right in the middle of sex, not a good memory."
"I made it up to you the next day."
"Yeah, you did." he laughed and got into the drivers seat, waiting for her to get in the car as well.
"Now lets go, hubby, leave our old places behind and make a new history in our new house." she smiled and kissed him once more before letting him drive.
The present: 3 years and 4 months old:
"Mommy, I'm not tired, do I have to take a nap?" Chris whined as Penny tucked him in.
"If you want to watch the fireworks tonight, then yes." she said sternly and kissed him on the forehead. "Otherwise you'll be too tired."
"Alright." he gave up, knowing that his mother wouldn't compromise on this issue.
"I must say, you have turned out to be an amazing mother." Bridget sighed as Penny came out of Chris' room. "Especially the way you're able to be so stern when you need to be."
"Thank you." Penny smiled at her sister. "And congratulations for getting out of bed."
"Very funny, it's not that bad."
"Really?" Penny smirked.
"Come on, who are you to throw stones, it's not as if I haven't heard your bed moving every night."
"No comment." Penny poked out her tongue. "Are you afraid you won't be a good mother?"
"You know I had to give my first child away." Bridget sighed. "I'm afraid I can't be strict when I need to be because I might think that I fall back into old habits."
"Nonsense." Penny shook her head. "There's a big difference now compared to your first marriage and first child."
"Which is?" Bridget asked.
"Josh." Penny replied. "He's not a deadbeat but a respected member of the community. Plus, he wants kids with you. Leonard told me how he found him watching Chris and dad with a longing look in his eyes."
"You're right about him." Bridget smiled. "So, what about you?"
"What about me?"
"When can we expect the announcement of your next pregnancy?"
"How do you know about that?" Penny hissed.
"Come on, I see it in your eyes every time you look at your boy and your husband."
"Fine, my IUD comes out in four months and I'm not going to replace it. And once that is done, we're doing it, doing it, doing it until I'm pregnant again." Penny grinned giddily.
"You make it look as if you're interested in the making of the baby."
"No, but that's the fun part about it. Right now, we're practicing tirelessly."
"I know." Bridget laughed.
"Yeah, walked right in that one." Penny chuckled and led the way downstairs where the guys were sitting in the living room, watching TV. "Who would have thought that the men in our family all like Star Wars?"
"I didn't." Bridget said.
"Leonard has a green lightsaber." Penny grinned, remembering his 'glow stick' from a few years back.
"You're dad has a double-bladed one." Meryl commented after joining them.
"For real?" Penny asked.
"Yeah."
"Don't tell Leonard or he'll want to play with it."
The rest of the day went by with all the family members playing cards as Chris slept upstairs until dinner when all enjoyed a light meal so they wouldn't be tired later. Chris continuously fidgeted in anticipation of the midnight fireworks and finally for him, the time came for them to leave for the town.
They packed themselves into multiple layers of clothing to keep out the freezing temperatures and got into Wyatt's big, old truck, large enough to fit seven people. The reason for their avoidance of his newer car was in case someone shot a rocket or a firecracker against it, since one more dent wouldn't change its appearance much. Chris already looked at the occasional rockets with wonder and Penny hoped he wouldn't be scared when hundreds of people were shooting theirs into the sky.
Half an hour later, Wyatt parked the truck at a public parking lot and the family walked to the restaurant on whose roof the festivities would take place. Since Josh is the day manager at the place, he had reserved them a spot and a minute later, they were on the roof, next to one of the gas heater pipes the staff had placed so the people wouldn't freeze.
Everyone drank more hot chocolate, Leonard with soy milk of course, and waited for the time to pass until midnight. Penny could see Chris getting tired again and knew that they would have to leave shortly after the fireworks. And since Bridget was staying with Josh, they had a little more room in the truck on their way back.
"Almost my sweet." Penny whispered to her boy, who was sitting on his father's shoulders, as the seconds counted down, reaching thirty.
"FIVE... FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE... HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the crowd shouted and clinked the glasses and cups and mugs they had in hand and throwing confetti into the air as the first rockets started shooting into the sky.
For Chris, all tiredness was gone as he watched the display like he was in a trance. Multi-colored explosions were all around them, people laughing and dancing to welcome the new year. Penny lit a small sparkler and handed it to Chris, keeping watch that he didn't put it too close to his body but her boy was intelligent enough to know not to do that.
"That was amazing!" he cooed as the fireworks started to die down, the people having shot most of their arsenals and only a few diehards left who were emptying their supply.
"It was. Did you have fun?" Penny smiled at her boy.
"Yeah! But I'm tired now."
"We'll go back soon." Penny nodded and mentioned for Leonard and her parents to follow her.
On their way down, they told Bridget that they were leaving and Penny's sister gave her nephew a big hug and a sloppy kiss on the cheek that was rewarded with a playful disgusted raspberry. The family walked to the truck who had no new marks on it and got in, Leonard in the front again to alleviate his motion sickness and the women plus child in the back while Wyatt drove.
For the first few minutes, Chris couldn't stop babbling about the greatness of the fireworks but suddenly, he stopped talking and the others in the car found him asleep, his head cuddled against Penny's arm. Leonard chuckled at his boy's behavior, having seen it several times before.
"One more thing he got from you." he mentioned to Penny, who nodded.
"What?" Meryl asked.
"Penny has the uncanny ability to fall asleep on the spot. For me, it usually takes a while, except for when I'm dead tired." Leonard explained.
"Yeah, the women in this family all have this ability." Wyatt confirmed, getting a gentle kick from Meryl, who was sitting behind him. "What, it's true."
"You can't complain, you might take longer to fall asleep but you have the ability to sleep through a stampede." Meryl mocked her husband with a grin.
"I always get up early to feed the animals." he argued.
"Only because I wake you up." Meryl returned as they entered their property.
The family got out of the car and walked back into the house, Leonard carrying the sleeping Chris on his arms. He waited until Penny had taken off her shoes and coat and handed him to her to get out of his as well. Not wanting to stay up much longer, especially since Wyatt and Meryl had to get up early again, they walked up the stairs to their respective rooms, wishing each other a good night.
Penny and Leonard brought Chris to his room, shaking him awake so he could change into his pajamas and brush his teeth. Once that was done, they brought him to bed and before a second had passed, he was out like a light, sleeping soundly. Penny gave her boy a kiss on the forehead and followed Leonard to her old room where she walked into his arms and kissed him deeply.
"Lets get cleaned up." she whispered into his ear. "And then, we will really welcome this new year."
She smiled as they brushed their teeth, thinking about the fact that if everything went to plan, this time next year she would be seven or eight months pregnant with their second child. He still had no idea she had decided on it but knew that he would be ecstatic. But until then, they were going to practice every night and most mornings, so that when the day came, her eggs would be fertilized after the first night.
Done. New Year's done ^^
Review please :)
Edit: To clear something up, the abortion thing wasn't supposed to be a joke but a remark on Sheldon's irrational behavior about having to live alone.