Chapter 21: The Morning After

The smoke has cleared from the night before. What's next for our intrepid couple? Hint: Mary Cooper weighs in.

The next morning, Niki awoke to the sound of Sheldon shuffling around in the kitchen. She looked over at the clock on the wall. Ten o'clock! She had managed to sleep through Sheldon's morning shower, Dr. Who, and the making and eating of Sheldon's breakfast. She knew she had been tired the night before, but never had she slept in this late. Sheldon suddenly appeared in the doorway carrying a full breakfast tray. He greeted her with a grin and a cheery, "Good morning, sleepyhead."

Niki sat up and rubbed her eyes, "'Morning. What's that you're holding?"

Sheldon's blue eyes sparkled, "Your breakfast. Scrambled eggs, wheat toast, sausages, and black coffee. I do believe that is your usual, am I right?"

Niki took a sip of her coffee and smiled back at him, "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"

"No, but I won't stop you from doing so. Anyway, I'm meeting my mother in a bit to go to brunch. Alfred has arranged for an Uber car to take us to the Farmer's Market on Wilshire and then return us back home. The least I could do was make you something to eat before I left. Here," he set the tray on her lap, "bon appétit!"

Niki took a bite of her eggs and asked him, "How long will you be gone?"

His grin widened, "Just long enough for me to have a nice visit with my mother and then get back in time to take you to that dinner at the beach. A deal is a deal."

Niki cocked her head and looked up at him suspiciously, "Where is Sheldon Cooper and what have you done with him?"

He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Having had the chance to sleep on the events of yesterday, I have realized how heinously I acted. You were wonderfully kind to my mother and gracious as well. That is of no small importance to me. I am deeply in your debt."

Niki took a bite of sausage and swallowed, "You didn't forget the Radisson, did you?"

His eyes grew wide in disbelief, "Sheldon Cooper, forget? Surely you are joking. No, we are on the 6th floor with an excellent view of the harbor. I also didn't forget that you love rooms with a balcony. There is a large one attached to our room complete with table and chairs. We also have a six o'clock dinner reservation at their restaurant."

"I love you, Cooper. How did you manage that at the last minute?" she asked him between sips of coffee.

"You have forgotten you are talking to a genius." He looked over and noticed her eyes beginning to roll, "A genius who has discovered that money talks and applied that knowledge accordingly. Now, about the conversation we started last night, can it be saved for tonight over a seafood dinner by candlelight?

She nodded, "Of course, but why?"

"I want us to have complete privacy and unlimited time for discussion. This morning there is little chance we will have either of those. So, is later agreeable to you?"

"Sure, it will wait." Niki checked the clock, "When are you leaving?"

"In about thirty minutes from now. But I do believe I must go over and have a visit with Leonard and Penny before my mother and I leave." He frowned in frustration, "Oh, the social dictates are maddening!" He turned and walked towards the door, "How do people manage them all?"

Niki chuckled at his antics, sometimes his eccentricities were adorable. "Goodbye, Sheldon and have a good time with your mother. Tell her I said, Hey!"

He turned to face her, "That I will. Would it be presumptuous of me to tell Penny that you would enjoy her company later this morning?"

Niki popped the last piece of toast into her mouth, "I think that would be perfect."

Sheldon turned back towards the door and proceeded to leave, "Then I shall do so. Goodbye. Be ready to leave for the beach by four o'clock if that is possible."

"I'll be ready, now go! They're all waiting for you." Niki laid the tray to one side and got ready for her shower.

************************************************************************************* Sheldon entered his almost-used-to-be home and greeted Leonard and Penny, who were seated at the breakfast nook nursing their coffees. "Good morning, you two. Is my mother almost ready to go?"

Penny looked over at the closed door on the spare bedroom, "She should be out in a couple of minutes; I think she's face-timing Alfred again. You'd think after 10 years they would be past that, but they still don't go a day without checking in with each other. It's a little ridiculous; he's going to be here tomorrow, anyway."

Sheldon took his usual seat on the couch and informed her, "Love need not die, Penny, if it gets the proper nourishment. "

Penny could barely suppress a laugh, "Says the man who used to be mistaken for a robot."

Leonard grinned, got up from his seat, and left the room to check on Sheldon's mother. "I think you still resemble C-3PO sometimes."

Sheldon's eyes followed Leonard as he spoke, "I do believe I have grown since then, Leonard. I am quite capable of love now."

"So Niki has told me. " Penny winked at the back of his head as she spoke.

Sheldon's head wheeled back around to face her, "She has given you details?"

"Nope, darn it! But she says enough to give me a pretty good idea of how hot things can get with you two." Penny pretended to be fanning herself.

He shot her an irritated look, "Love is a mental activity, also."

"I know, I was just having a little fun with you."

He shook his head and sighed, "Don't you think you did enough of that last night?"

"Hey, that was not my idea. Your mother and Niki cooked that one up. It was good, though. You should have seen your face. Priceless!" Her eyes and mouth crinkled up at their corners at the thought of Sheldon's reaction to the ruse.

Mary Cooper entered the living room, Leonard following closely behind her, "Hey, Shellybean, ready to get going?"

Sheldon stood up quickly, he was extremely eager to end his uncomfortable conversation with Penny. "More than ready, Mother. Is our driver here yet?"

"Give him another minute or so, Sheldon. You know, you look pretty chipper today." Leonard flashed him an evil grin.

Sheldon rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Yes, Leonard. I am looking forward to spending some time with my mother."

"Anyone else you gonna spend time with?" Penny couldn't resist a chance to tease him.

"If you must know, Niki and I are spending tonight at the beach. You know, Penny, keeping it from 'getting old'. "'

Leonard now gave him a sincere smile. "Hey, that's cool. I'm glad you got everything straightened out with her last night. You did get things settled, right?"

"Of course. It is impossible for Niki and me to stay angry with each other."

"Give it time." The married couple both chimed in unison, barely able to suppress their laughs.

Sheldon hooked his arm through his mother's and steered them both towards the door, "Perhaps, but Niki is a unique individual. She accepts that I am not perfect and then forgives me."

"Until the next time." Penny got up and decided to walk them to the door.

"Very funny, Penny. Well, mother, shall we leave? Our driver just texted me that he has arrived."

Mary nodded her head, "Ready as I'll ever be. I do love that brunch they have at that Farmer's Market. It's so nice there. Such a pretty place right smack dab in the middle of the big city. Well, kids, we're off."

Leonard gave Mary a quick hug, "Have a nice time, you two. Enjoy your brunch."

Sheldon suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned his head, "Before I leave I must pass along a message from Niki . Penny, your presence at her apartment later this morning would not be unwelcome."

"Sheldon, why can't you just say she'd like me to come over? You know, like normal people say it."

Now it was Sheldon's turn to grin as he guided Mary out the door, "Well, then I wouldn't be me, now would I? Goodbye Penny, Leonard, enjoy your day."

Penny shrugged and looked toward Leonard, "I guess I'll call Niki in a bit. You don't mind if I visit for awhile with her?"

Leonard shook his head, "Of course not. Are you going to fill her in on 'you know what'?"

"That's my main reason for going over there, that and I want to get all the juicy details of what went down with those two last night. I'll let you know what she says about 'you know what'."

"It's been a long time since we've done that, I can't wait."

Penny walked towards the kitchen and looked back at her husband, "Well, it will be even more fun if Niki and Sheldon join us."

Sheldon and his mother had just been seated when she asked him, "Are you and Niki okay? She was a little upset with you last night."

He picked up his menu and began to study it, "Have no fear, Mother. Niki and I are good."

Mary cupped her chin in her hands and asked her son, "Niki's not like Amy, is she?"

Sheldon shot her a condescending look, "Nothing gets by you, does it?"

"Don't be sassing me, Sheldon Lee Cooper. I asked you a question and I expect a civil answer from you."

He sighed in submission, "Very well. No, you are correct. Niki is somewhat different from Amy. "

"Niki's a darlin', just like Amy was, but in a different way. She's real smart like Amy was, but then I can't see you with any other kind of girl. Also, she's funny as heck! I'll bet that girl is up for anything! Amy was a bit more on the careful side." She smiled at the memory of her conversations with her son's girlfriend the day before.

Sheldon finally put down his menu and addressed his mother, "Amy was also more patient than Niki tends to be. Niki is far more impetuous than Amy ever was and she has a bit of a temper as well, while Amy held a lot of things in. Furthermore, Niki is far more adventurous than Amy ever was. Did I tell you she has gotten me to rollerblade, and to go dancing quite often?"

Mary took a sip of her water and then chuckled softly, "Glory be! She is different than Amy isn't she? Well, I can't see Niki keepin' things bottled up for too long. The lady says what she feels, but she does it in such a sweet way you can't be mad at her."

Sheldon's face was suddenly filled with a soft smile, "Ah, yes. Staying mad at NIki is next to impossible, unless, of course, you're Emily Sweeny." Mary gave him a questioning look, "Don't ask, long story. For a female, Niki plays very few games, which I find quite refreshing." He suddenly leaned forward, an inquisitive look on his face, "How on earth did you get her to go along with that little charade last night?"

"That part was easy. She was madder than a wet hen at you. Have you ever had the chance to wear those ridiculous Disney ears in public?"

Sheldon became interested in his menu once more, "Of course not."

"Well, I wouldn't recommend it. I've never seen people stare so hard at someone. She must love you a whole lot to do that."

Sheldon set down his menu and admitted, "It is mutual, Mother. She is the only woman besides Amy that I have ever loved."

Mary looked fondly at her son,"Well, that's nice to hear. Oh, by the way, don't worry, she knows how you feel about her. How she does that with you keepin' your distance most of the time from her, I'll never know."

He shook his head and smiled at his mother, "In private we are quite affectionate with each other. I have always disliked public displays of affection, though Niki and I have kissed in public before, and it wasn't all that terrible. Anyway, I am happy that she knows how I feel about her. She is much like Amy in that she understands me completely."

Mary looked him straight in the eyes and said, "She wasn't understanding you too much yesterday, son."

"That was entirely my fault. I wasn't thinking. I wanted to see the movie and I also wanted to make sure you two would recognize each other at the crowded airport."' Sheldon stopped speaking as their server arrived and took their order.

After the waitress left, it was Mary's turn to lean forward, "Honey, with those eyes of hers, I would have recognized her anywhere."

"They are unique, aren't they?" He asked her, a dreamy expression on his face.

"They're the color of, of,..."

Sheldon gave her a not-so-subtle hint, "Mercury."

"What's that?"

He cautiously explained, "It's what is used inside some thermometers, Mother."

Mary nodded vigorously, "Oh, okay. Yeah, that's it. Never seen eyes that color in my life. With those dark lashes of hers, well, they don't look like nobody else's"

"And her freckles are adorable."

His mother's smile grew even wider, if that was possible, "Shelly, I've never heard you use the word adorable before. You must really love this lady."

Sheldon looked straight at her and admitted, "That I do. With all of my heart."

"You planning on askin' her to marry you?" Mary asked him without any pause, "She's a keeper."

"All in good time, Mother. But trust me; I have no intention of letting her go…ever. "

"That's good to hear, but I wouldn't be puttin' off popping the question too long, if you know what I mean. I don't want to hear of you two living in sin without the sanctity of marriage."

Sheldon gave one of his classic eye rolls, "I was wondering how long it would take you to throw a moral lecture in there. Trust me; I have no intention of doing Niki wrong. Now, here is our food. I suggest we hurry up and eat. I do believe those Uber drivers charge by the hour for waiting. I don't want Alfred to see the bill and make you a widow for the second time."

"That will be enough, Sheldon! The driver was prepaid, so don't you worry none about the bill."

He picked up his sandwich and responded in a respectful tone, "Yes, Mother."

At 12:30, Penny bounded into Niki's apartment without knocking, "Hey, girlfriend!"

Niki looked up from the magazine she was reading, "I see Sheldon gave you my message." I also see why Sheldon said we would not have much privacy today.

Penny plopped down on the couch next to Niki, "Yeah, he did but I was planning on coming over, anyway. I want to talk to you about something."

Niki put down her magazine, "Is it a personal thing again? I think you know quite a bit about my love life now."

"Relax. No, it's more of a group thing. Look, are you free three weeks from today?"

"Gee, I don't know. That depends on what I am going to make myself free for." Niki got up and headed for the kitchen, intent on getting her friend something to drink.

Penny followed her and explained, "Look, for about six or seven years, every spring our little group would hold a makeshift prom up on the roof of our building. We would hire a dj, have drinks, dancing, you know, just like a real prom, but it was only for those we invited."

Niki opened the door of the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, "That sounds like a lot of fun. You did this every year?"

"We did until Amy got too sick to go. It just didn't seem right to have it when Sheldon and Amy couldn't be there. The first year we held it was the first time Sheldon told Amy he loved her. That was so romantic." Penny smiled at the memory.

Niki handed Penny the bottle and sighed, "Oh that was romantic! That must have been a very special night for both of them."

"Yep. We all had such a good time that we kept doing it every year. We ladies bought beautiful dresses and the guys all rented tuxes. We all looked fantastic and danced the night away. If we're lucky, this one will be more of the same." Penny returned to the couch and sat down with her legs crossed.

Niki stayed behind in the kitchen, "Sounds like my kind of evening. Count me in, Penny." Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she returned to the living room, "Oh, but have you mentioned this to Sheldon? We made an agreement last night not to accept any social engagements in the future without discussing it with the other party first."

Penny looked up at Nik and grinned, "Yeah, he does love those agreements, doesn't he? Anyway, Leonard talked to him about it yesterday, while they were at the movies. I think he'll ask you to go with him tonight."

Niki sat down next to Penny, "This is going to sound strange, but I'm as excited about this as I was about my real prom."

"Oh, you went to your prom?" Penny sounded surprised.

"What, nerds don't date? Okay, I'll confess, I was dating a boy from the local college and he didn't want to go to a high school prom. I understood."

Penny took a sip of her water, "So what did you do?"

Niki began to reminisce, "He told me to buy myself a beautiful dress and have my hair and makeup done, just as if I was going to the prom. But, he took me to a fancy restaurant for a steak and lobster dinner. And then we went dancing. I have never regretted not actually going to the real prom."

"Did you guys get a hotel room…after?"

Niki chuckled and shook her head, "Nah, we were just two virgin nerds. That came later, with a different guy. Still, it was a pretty special night for me."

Penny winked at her friend and smiled, "Well, I think things will be a little different this time."

Niki nodded innocently, "Oh yeah, no steak and lobster."

Penny picked up her water and faced her friend, "Niki, you know damn well what I meant! You and Sheldon will probably, well, you know."

Niki could barely keep a straight face as she answered her, "No, I don't know."

Penny put down her water and sighed, "Okay, play dumb if you want, but I know you two will be dancing the horizontal tango before the night is done."

Niki could hold her serious look no longer. She giggled and responded, "Wow. You make it sound so romantic." A mischievous look crossed her face and she began to tease Penny. "What about you and Leonard? Should I make book on you two making whoopee, gettin' busy, knockin' boots, getting your ashes hauled, playing hide the salami…"

Penny collapsed on the couch with laughter, "Okay, stop. You're going to make me pee myself in a second. Okay, yes, I suppose Leonard and I will most likely follow tradition and be 'hooking up'. Oh, it's going to be a great night, I can see it now!"

Niki decided to change the subject, "Okay, so that's been cleared up. Now, when do you want to go shopping for our dresses?"

Penny calmed down and thought for a moment, "Let's see when Bernie can get free and then we'll arrange the time. Most likely next Friday?"

"Sounds good to me. It's good to have that settled."

Penny leaned in towards Niki, "Speaking of getting things settled, how did things go last night with Sheldon?"

"Oh, we talked and worked things out. We're fine."

Penny gave her an unbelieving stare, "You guys just talked?'

Niki shook her head and went to the kitchen to get another drink, "Penny, get your mind out of the gutter. I was exhausted and I had just spent three hours with his mother. Yeah, nothing gets a girl hotter than being with a guy's mother, discussing premarital sex and the Lord."

Penny yelped as Niki returned to the couch, "Oh my god, Niki Horner! Sometimes you are so outrageous!"

"Yep. That's why we're friends. That and the fact I'm dating your husband's brother."

Penny threw a sofa pillow at Niki and both women dissolved into laughter.

How will Niki and Sheldon's night at the beach go? Will he actually ask her to go to prom with him? The answers are in the next chapter.