*Thank you all again for continuing to read my story! I cried when I reached 3k hits. No joke. I was never expecting such a great response to this, you are all my heroes. Thank you for being so awesome! This chapter is filled with shorter scenes to help get us to Texas. I hope you enjoy it!
*Chapter 9*
"Ow! What the hell?" Bernadette turned to see Penny frowning at her.
"Stop making out with the enemy, and I won't shoot you next time." Penny kept her gun pointed at her teammate, just because Bernadette and Howard's guns were both laying on the floor, didn't mean they couldn't reach for them. Bernie may be on her side, but that didn't mean she wouldn't shoot back. Luckily, Alice was just outside the hut keeping watch. She slowly backed out the door and darted to the side. "Run!"
Howard looked at his fiancé with wide eyes. "Penny has the flag!"
Bernadette smiled before grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him close "Yeah, but you have something even better. A prisoner."
Howard waggled his eyebrows "True."
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Penny burst into 4A. "Sheldon, I need your help."
He paused the Dr. Who episode he was watching. "Milk is in the fridge." He gestured with the remote "You really need to make sure to keep your own stock, what if we decided to quit drinking milk? You must think ahead and plan for these things."
"No, not with that." She waved away the thought "I need help finding the perfect birthday gift for your mother."
"I bought her the digitally remastered ultimate edition of 'Carl Sagan's Cosmos' 5-disc blue ray set. You could always buy her the 'Cosmos, A Spacetime Odyssey' set, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson as a companion."
"What?" she shook her head "What is that?"
Sheldon sighed. "Carl Sagan was a Pulitzer Prize winning scientist who hosted a television series regarding the synergy and make-up of the universe and our relationship to it. I'm hoping it will be as enthralling and educational for my mother, as it was for me, as I enjoyed watching the series when I was a young child. The recent show hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson is a continuation of Carl Sagan's work."
Penny sat down next to him on the couch. "Sweetie, you can't give that to your mother."
"Why not? It's a perfectly useful gift."
"It sounds like this is a gift that you would enjoy."
"Of course it is! Why else do you think I picked it out for my mother?"
"Sweetie, you can't pick out gifts that you like when shopping for other people. You need to think about them and what they like. Just because you like something, doesn't mean that they will like it. I like 'Care Bears', how would you feel if I bought you a 'Care Bear' for your birthday?"
"I wouldn't enjoy that at all. You know I have no use for stuffed bears."
"Exactly. Do you see my point?"
He sighed heavily. "I suppose so. But this leaves me in a quandary. I no longer have a gift, and anything I order on amazon might not make it before we leave. Although, I suppose I could always have something shipped to my Meemaw's."
"We could always go shopping today. I still need to get a gift."
Sheldon pouted "I hate shopping."
"I understand that, Sweetie. How about I take you to the train store once we're finished?"
He perked up "Really? Can I get the Lionel Hogwarts Express Train set and extra tracks so it will fit around the Christmas tree that Leonard will insist on putting up?"
"Sure, Sweetie, whatever makes you happy." She smiled. Sometimes Sheldon was just like a little kid. It was kind of sweet how such simple things made him happy. The guys were always irritated by it, but she thought it was endearing. Too many times, people got caught up with adulting, and if Sheldon could use trains and comic books to help relieve the stress, who was she to judge. Even if she wasn't interested in them herself.
"We can leave once I've finished my Dr. Who episode and have gotten dressed. If you come back in" he checked his watch "twenty-two minutes, I will be ready to leave."
"Perfect. I'll go get ready!" Penny jumped up and ran back over to her apartment, but not before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
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Saying that Penny was frustrated, was an understatement. Everything she pointed out, Sheldon shot down. "Sheldon, we have been into six stores already, and we've come up with nothing. Let's sit down real quick and talk this out. There has to be a way to figure out something to give to your mother."
"Very well."
They found a bench and took a seat. "What kinds of things does your mother like?"
He snorted "God, the bible, and her Franklin Mint Collector's Plates."
"Well, I'm fairly sure she already has a bible, and we can't give her God, so what about the plates? Are there any in particular she's been wanting to add to her collection?"
"I do not believe so. After my father passed away, she replaced all the ones my father used for skeet shooting practice. I believe her collection is now complete."
Penny took a deep breath, released it, and tried to think. "What about some religious jewelry? I've seen her wear the same cross necklace every time we've met. We could get her a new one."
"Mama has a few necklaces, she just prefers that one."
"Okay," she thought some more "what about a Pandora bracelet?"
"I don't know if my mother is interested in the mythology surrounding Pandora and her box." He said curiously.
She laughed "No, Pandora is a brand name, Sweetie. They are very nice and expensive bracelets, and you can personalize them with different charms. I bet we can even find a charm to represent you!"
"That sounds interesting, let's go."
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"Welcome to Pandora's Jewelry, is there anything I can help you find?"
Penny looked up from the display case to see a well-dressed middle-aged man standing behind the counter. "Yes, my friend here is looking to get a charm bracelet for his mother's birthday, do you happen to have any science charms?"
"Science charms?" he replied dubiously.
"Yes, I am a theoretical physicist at Cal Tech. I would like a charm to represent my field of study."
"I'm afraid we don't have anything for physics, but we do have some lovely charms for the sun, moon, and stars. That is probably the closest thing we have to 'science charms'." He reached down in the display and pulled out a few trays "Can you tell me what sorts of things your mother likes? I can pull out different charms for you to look at."
"As I told Penny earlier, God, the bible, and Franklin Mint Collector's plates. She's a very simple woman."
"Well, we do have a collection of religious charms, and here we have some family charms, and a few birthday charms." He continued to pull out trays, while simultaneously ignoring the Franklin Mint Collection comment. He didn't even know where to begin with that one. "I'll give you a few minutes to look these over to see if there is any that interest you. My name is Colin, just let me know if you need anything." He politely stepped away to help another customer.
"Well, do you see anything you like, Sweetie?"
Sheldon looked over the various charms laid out before him. He picked up a sun charm that had the words "You are my sunshine" engraved on it. "My mother used to sing this to Missy when we were little. Do you think she would like this?" He held it out for Penny to see.
"Yes! That is exactly the kinds of things you should look for, things that have special meaning." She picked out a dangly charm that had letters spelling out "Mom". "This might be a good one to add as well. Why don't we make a small pile over here, that way we can narrow down the pile to the one's we like?"
"That is a very logical system of elimination! Very good Penny, it seems our time spent together is rubbing off on you!" He smiled.
She glared back. She knew he meant it as a sincere compliment, but that didn't make her feel any better about it. "Watch it. Just because you kissed me, doesn't mean I won't go Junior Rodeo on you."
He gulped. "You know I didn't mean it that way."
She sighed "I know, but maybe you should take a few seconds to think about the way you word things before you say them."
"I will take that under advisement."
"Thank you, Sweetie." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
Sheldon blushed, he still wasn't completely used to public displays of affection, but he felt confident that no one was paying them any attention. They both continued to look at the charms, pulling out ones that interested them. Sheldon picked out a mother and son heart, a starry night charm, a happy birthday cake charm, and a dangling cross charm. Penny chose an angel charm, a heart charm, family tree charm, house charm, and a small cat charm.
"What is the cat charm for? My mother doesn't own any cats."
"It's for 'Soft Kitty'." She smiled softly. "I know it would make me think of you, and since she was the first to sing it to you, I figured it would make her think of you too."
He smiled "I suppose you're right. Thank you, Penny, I think she'll like this one."
"Have you found any you like?" Colin asked as he slid up to the counter in front of them again.
"Yes, I believe we have. We'll take all of these" Sheldon indicated the pile off to the side.
"Very good, sir." Colin placed the trays back below the glass. He grabbed one from the side of the case and placed it on the countertop. "Here's our collection of charm bracelets, does your mother have a preference on the color?"
Penny turned to Sheldon "Your mother's necklace is silver, the bracelet should match, don't you think?"
"I agree, she prefers silver over gold."
She pointed to a plain bracelet with a heart shaped clasp. "What about this one? It's simple, but very pretty."
"I'll trust your judgement on this one, Penny. You know more about jewelry than I do."
"I think this one will do nicely." She turned to address Colin "How many charms can this one hold?"
"This one will hold 15-20, it all accounts on the charm, as some are wider than others. I suggest going up a size so that way she can continue to add to it without it becoming tight around her wrist." He replied.
Sheldon looked at Penny "We only have eleven charms, should we pick more?"
"Can we place the charms on the bracelet to see how it looks?" Penny asked Colin.
"Of course." He quickly undid the clasp. "Did you have any particular order you wish for them to be in?" He inquired.
"Not right now, we just want to see how they fit. If we decide to get more, we can always rearrange the order later."
"Alright, give me just a moment." Colin quickly placed the charms on the bracelet, being careful not to place two dangling ones next to each other. "How do you feel about this?" He showed them the finished product.
"Hmmm…" Sheldon held the bracelet and looked at it from different angles. "Penny, could you put this on so we can see how it looks while being worn?"
"Of course, Sweetie, that's a good idea." She put it on her wrist, it wasn't as heavy as she thought it would be. "What do you think?"
Sheldon grabbed her wrist and twisted it this way and that. "I think it needs more charms, I don't like how empty it looks." He thought the bracelet looked very pretty on her; he would have to consider getting her one at some point. Normally jewelry held no interest for him, unless it was related to a superhero, or from a treasured book, but the thought of Penny wearing something he gave her felt right.
"Okay, Sweetie, was there any others you were interested in?"
"No, I pulled out all the ones I liked." He pouted.
"If I may, we have filler charms, there is a wide variety of them, and your mother can remove them if she receives more personal ones over the years." He pulled out a tray filled with simple charms.
"That will work very nicely, thank you, Colin." Sheldon replied. "Penny, I really don't know what to pick, if you would be so kind as to choose for me, I would appreciate it."
Penny let her eyes roam over the choices in front of her. She ended up picking out six flower charms, they all looked different, but somehow matched. She gave her selection to Colin, and he helped them place all the charms on the bracelet in an order that Sheldon agreed that was aesthetically pleasing. When they were finished, they followed Colin over to the cash register. "I'll pay for the bracelet, and you can purchase the charms."
"Now, hold on. We both picked this out, I think we should give it to her as one gift together."
"Sheldon, I can't afford to cover half the cost of this."
"I'm not expecting you to. I just don't think we should separate the gift. What if she opens the charms before the bracelet? It would ruin the surprise of your gift. And if she opens the bracelet first, it will be empty, and that might upset my mother."
"Sheldon,"
He held up a hand interrupting her "I'll pay for this right now, and we can discuss how much you want to put in at a later time." He had no intention of allowing her to pay for any of it, but they could have that argument later. After all, she was doing him a large favor by helping him with this, without her, he wouldn't have a gift for his mama. After seeing the whole thing put together, he could admit that Penny had been right. He had a feeling that his mother would love this. After the bracelet was paid for, they stepped out of the store after thanking Colin for all his help.
Sheldon smiled down at her. "To the train store?"
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Penny threw her laundry in the dryer. "Let me get this straight. You want to pack an emergency kit in my suitcase? For what purpose?"
"Penny, Penny, Penny, for emergencies of course! It will go in your check-in bag. Inside will be two sets of extra clothing, a first aid kit, non-perishable food, bottled water, and an emergency blanket. Unfortunately, due to airline restrictions, we are not allowed to pack flares or dynamite. Luckily, I know where we can purchase some once we land."
"Dynamite? Why dynamite?" Penny knew Sheldon had some idiosyncrasies, but this was taking it a bit far.
"You never know when a stick of dynamite might come in handy, Penny. I keep a couple in each of my emergency packs."
Penny's jaw dropped "You have dynamite in your apartment!?" she practically yelled.
Sheldon scoffed "Of course I do. They are in small fireproof boxes, there is no need for concern."
Penny was beginning to think the guys were right. Sheldon really was just one accident away from becoming a super villain.
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Penny was tired. It was her last shift at the Cheesecake Factory, and it was a slow day. Busy days were better because they went by faster, and she got better tips. Her co-workers were sweet enough to bring in a cake and throw a small going away party, and that was the only good part of her day. They even insisted on sending her home with the leftovers and she carried a bag full of going away gifts. Now that her work day was over, she just wanted to curl up with a bowl of ice cream and a feel-good movie. She still had a few hours until Sheldon was off work, so that gave her a bit of downtime to unwind so that she could spend a stress-free evening with him. She stepped into her apartment, dropped the bag and cake down on her kitchen island, and opened the freezer.
"Hello, Penny."
Penny jumped and dropped the container of ice cream on the floor, she pressed her hand against her now rapidly beating heart, trying to keep it from pounding out of her chest. "Sheldon! What the hell! You scared the crap out of me!" She closed the freezer, then picked up the ice cream, making sure it was still edible. Luckily, the lid stayed firm, so she reached over to the drawer and grabbed a spoon.
"I'm sorry, Penny, I didn't realize that you were unaware of my presence."
"Why would I be aware of your presence? You're supposed to be at work!"
"We leave for Texas early tomorrow morning, there are still preparations to make. I took the afternoon off so I could ensure your suitcase was properly packed, and thank goodness I did, because you hadn't even started packing!"
"Sheldon, I was planning on packing tonight." She replied exasperatingly.
"Penny, you can't leave these things until the last minute! What if you found that you needed something and the store you needed to buy it from was out, or closed?"
"Then I'd go without. It's not that difficult Sheldon."
Sheldon tsked. He turned around and walked back into her room muttering under his breath about "troublesome women".
Penny grabbed the chocolate syrup out of her fridge and dumped a ton in the carton. She was going to need a lot of chocolate. She ate a spoonful and then followed Sheldon into her room. She stopped short in her doorway, once again Sheldon and his cleaning obsession had transformed her room. Her closet doors were wide open, and she could see all her clothes were organized by color, then within those parameters, by season. Her bed was made with new bedding, and all her care bears were organized and neatly sitting on her dresser. He had taken out her suitcase and was packing.
"Sheldon, why did you pack my clothes? You don't even know what I want to wear!"
He scoffed. "Of course I do. I packed all your favorite outfits for the forecasted weather, plus your most comfortable pajamas. I also packed a set of new toiletries- no worries, I made sure they matched the items you already prefer to use- and I packed you a few pairs of shoes. Shoes for everyday wear, your heels for the party, slippers for the evenings, and a pair of sandals since I know you like those." He gestured to each pair as he spoke.
"Oh? And what dress did you pick for the party?" Penny was curious to dig through the suitcase to see if he really knew what her favorite outfits were.
"I packed your denim-colored blue dress with the short sleeves, and the purple dress you wore on our first date. I figured I should pack more than one in case we end up going out to eat one evening, or my mother manages to rope us into going to church with her on Sunday. Which unfortunately, is highly likely to happen." He folded another shirt and added it to the suitcase "I also packed your V-neck teal dress with the layered skirt as a backup dress in case something happens to one of the other dresses in transit."
Penny's eyes widen of their own accord, those are the exact dresses she would have picked. The blue was respectable for his mama's party, and the other two would be great if they went out somewhere. She could even wear the teal to church with a matching cardigan. Before she knew what she was doing, she grabbed it out of her closet and threw it on the pile Sheldon was packing. "For church." She nodded.
"A wise choice, you can never tell if the building will be drafty."
Penny rolled her eyes. She glanced at the dress shoes he packed. "Sheldon, you can't pack only a black pair of heels!"
"Why not? I've heard Missy say on multiple occasions that 'black goes with anything'."
"While that is true, it's not always true for shoes." She snatched them out of the suitcase and replaced them with the proper pairs.
"Penny, you just replaced one pair of shoes with three, now I'll have to rearrange everything!" Sheldon exclaimed.
"And what is with these shoes? I don't wear these for everyday wear! These are my work shoes!"
"Yes, and since they must be comfortable to work in, they are perfect for everyday wear!"
"No, Sweetie, those are ugly. They were given to me as part of the uniform, I didn't actually choose to wear them."
"Oh, I hadn't considered that." He took them out and held them out to her "I apologize Penny. Please grab a pair of shoes that you feel comfortable wearing."
She grabbed them from him and dug in her closet. She found her favorite pair of sneakers and placed them in the vacant spot from her work shoes. She took a moment to peek at what he was packing, and darned it all, if he wasn't packing all her favorite outfits. He even packed her favorite pajamas. She decided to sit down on the bed to finish her ice cream before it melted.
"You know, I could get used to this, I normally just cram everything in there. This all looks a lot neater."
Sheldon gasped "But Penny, how would you find anything?"
"I'd just pull it all out until I found what I wanted." She shrugged.
"Well, that explains the state of your room when I arrived." He shook his head. "By the way, you really need to take better care of the items under your bed."
"Sheldon…." She panicked "You didn't!"
"Everything is organized now, no need to worry."
Penny freaked out and looked under her bed. Sure enough, he had cleaned everything out, which meant he found her box. The one thing she hoped he'd never find.
"Coincidentally, I myself have a box under my bed. Granted, they each contain different items, but the concept still applies." He smirked.
Penny's eye's widened until they dried out and tears formed. "Are you telling me, that you have a naughty box under your bed?"
"Well, that's certainly not what I call it, but yes."
Penny ran out of the room, snatched the emergency key to 4A, and tore into his apartment. She ran into his room, threw herself onto the floor, and reached blindly under his bed for his box. She just had to know what dirty little secrets Sheldon kept in there. She found the box and sat on his bed. It was one of those square photo storage boxes. She took a deep breath, then lifted the lid. There was a piece of paper inside with just one word. "SHELDON!"
He heard her scream from across the hall, and he chuckled to himself. "Bazinga."
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Penny settled in deeper in her seat. She still couldn't believe that Sheldon had gotten them first class tickets. When she'd confronted him about it, he had responded that he didn't enjoy flying, so if he was going to be forced to be on a plane, it was going to be in first class. She had to admit, there was something to his logic. The seats were larger, there were only two seats on their side of the plane, they had more leg room, and they even got a blanket and pillow to cuddle with. She rarely ever flew, because of how expensive it was, and when she did, it was always coach.
"Penny, now that we have reached altitude, and everyone is settled in, I would like to open a dialogue regarding our trip."
"Sure, Moonpie, what's on your mind?"
"Penny, only my Meemaw is allowed to call me Moonpie."
"And other Penny." She pointed out.
"Yes, well, we are talking about you right now, not 'other Penny', so once again, I'll point out that only my Meemaw can call me Moonpie."
Penny rolled her eyes and gestured for him to continue.
"Once we land, we are sure to be bombarded by my family, and we will have little to no time to ourselves."
Penny waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she figured he must be waiting for some sort of response. "Okay, well, we can handle that, I mean, that's why we are here, to see your family, right?"
Sheldon cleared his throat "Yes, this is true, but I had something I wanted to discuss, and preferably before we land in Texas."
"Okay, Sweetie, go ahead. You have my undivided attention."
He took a deep breath "I would like to discuss the terms of our relationship paradigm. I was wondering if you would be opposed to altering our agreement, by adding an addendum. I would still like you to keep the title of my 'Best Friend', but I would like to add 'Girlfriend' status as well. I have already written up a document, and if you read it over, we can discuss any changes you feel need to be made." He handed her the proposed addendum. Sheldon had spent days working on it, trying to get it just right. He knew she hated it when he used words and terminologies that were above her intelligence level, so he tried to keep it simple, while still feeding his need for a legal and binding contract.
Penny took the papers and placed them in her lap. On one hand, she was tempted to say yes, on the other hand, this had to be the weirdest way anyone had ever asked her out. And that included the time in 7th grade when Steven Donaldson wrote "Penny, will you go out with me?" in the boy's bathroom. He'd confronted her after a week, wanting to know why she hadn't answered, until she reminded him that she was a girl and didn't frequent the boy's bathroom. "Sweetie, why do you think we need a contract for this?"
Sheldon began to wring his hands. With most people, he could just demand they sign it or else. He knew that wouldn't work with Penny, but if he explained it to her, she might decide they were no longer compatible, and that was unacceptable to him.
She could see that he was beginning to freak out. She didn't mean to put him on the spot, but she had to know. It was obviously important to him, but if he really wanted to be in a relationship with her, she needed to know why it was so important. She placed her hand over his and pushed them down into his lap to still them. "Sweetie, I'm not judging, I just want to know you better. If I'm going to agree to a change in our relationship, I need to know these things. What's important to you, should be important to me too."
He looked down at her small hand covering his. He took a deep breath and came clean. "Penny, I am a creature of habit, and I like knowing what is expected of me. I don't like the unknown, and I don't do well with surprises. Relationship contracts help me understand my role. As you know, I'm not particularly good with social cues. I would hate to lose a friend because of some social faux pas, that I didn't even know I committed. These contracts make it so I can maintain friendships. They bring order to something I don't fully grasp."
Penny felt her heart break for him "Oh, Sweetie, anyone who knows you should know that you would never intentionally destroy a friendship. Not without just outright saying you no longer want to be friends. If it helps, I am willing to look this over, but I will probably make some changes. And there has to be some room for error and forgiveness. I'm not so great with structure and rules. I'm very free spirited and tend to go with what I feel. I'm still not entirely sure a relationship like this will work for us."
"Would you please read it before you make a decision?"
"Sure, Sweetie, I can do that." She picked up the paper and started reading.
The Best Friend Agreement
Relationship Addendum
Sheldon Lee Cooper will retain the title of "Best Friend" to Penelope Elizabeth Halverston with the additional status of "Boyfriend".
Penelope Elizabeth Halverston will retain the title of "Best Friend" of Sheldon Lee Cooper with the added status of "Girlfriend".
Sheldon Lee Cooper will be known throughout this document as Sheldon, the "Best Friend", or the "Boyfriend".
Penelope Elizabeth Halverston will be known throughout this document as Penny, the "Best Friend", or the "Girl Friend".
This document shall only reference changes to sections of the Best Friend Agreement, or additions to the agreement due to the additional Boyfriend/Girlfriend status, as noted by an asterisk.
Social Introductions Clause, Section 3, Article 4: When introducing one another to someone new, the proper introduction shall be "This is my Best Friend, (insert Sheldon or Penny here)".
*This should now only be done in the event you are trying to avoid the other person from attempting to become your best friend. With the relationship addendum, the new proper introduction shall be "This is my Boyfriend/Girlfriend, (insert Sheldon or Penny here)".
Public Displays of Affection Clause, Section 1, Article 1: High Fives. Can be given to indicate celebration after a contest or competition has been won.
*In addition to high fives, a congratulatory hug or a kiss on the cheek is now acceptable under the relationship addendum.
Public Displays of Affection Clause, Section1, Article 2: Hugs. Hugs can be given as an addition to a hot beverage in extreme cases of sorrow. Hugs can also be given as a thank you for something extremely important.
*Hugs can now be given to indicate celebration as in the Public Displays of Affection Clause, Section 1, Article 1. They can also be given to indicate any type of affection, as hugs are commonplace in a Boyfriend/Girlfriend relationship. Hugs in public should be limited to five "Mississippi's" or less, unless under extreme emotional distress.
Public Displays of Affection Clause, Section 1, Article 3: Kisses. Kisses should never be given.
*Kisses are now allowed, but only on the cheek when in public. See the "Private Displays of Affection Clause" below.
*Public Displays of Affection Clause, Section 4, Article 1: Sheldon recognizes that Penny requires displays of affection and is intitled to them as Sheldon's girlfriend. Sheldon humbly requests that public displays remain limited as to keep his anxiety at a minimum when possible.
*Private Displays of Affection Clause: All Private Displays of Affection are allowed.
Strikes: *All strikes used as consequences for breaking the rules of the Best Friend Agreement are hereby suspended, as giving strikes to a boyfriend/girlfriend is not a good way to build a relationship. All past strikes have also been forgiven.
Penny's eyes darted back up to the Private Displays of Affection Clause. There was no way he didn't have conditions. She peeked over to see him steadily looking at her. She glanced back down at the paper in her hands. He must really want this relationship if this was all he was asking of her. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why are there no conditions under the Private Displays of Affection Clause?"
"Because I want you to be happy."
"What if I smother you with affection one day?"
"Would that make you happy?"
"Maybe."
"If it would make you happy," he gulped "then I am willing to be smothered."
"What if you are on the verge of proving string theory?"
He squeezed his eyes shut "If you are happy, then I am happy."
"What if you are trying to write your acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize?"
"Penny, are you really going to make me say it again?" He whined.
She laughed in response "No." Penny glanced back down at the paper in her hand. "I have some adjustments I would like to make."
"According to my calculations, we still have two hours in our flight. Will it take longer than that?"
"I don't imagine it will, Sweetie." She smiled brightly.
"I'll be working on my phone, please inform me when it's completed to your satisfaction."
"Sure thing, Sweetie." She smiled at how quickly he could be absorbed into his work. She glanced down at the paper. She decided to start at the top and work her way down.
*This should now only be done in the event you are trying to avoid the other person from attempting to become your best friend. With the relationship addendum, the new proper introduction shall be "This is my Best Friend and Boyfriend/Girlfriend, (insert Sheldon or Penny here)".
*Hugs can now be given to indicate celebration as in the Public Displays of Affection Clause, Section 1, Article 1. They can also be given to indicate any type of affection, as hugs are commonplace in a Boyfriend/Girlfriend relationship. Hugs in public should be limited to THREE "Mississippi's" or less, unless under extreme emotional distress or Jubilation.
*Public Displays of Affection Clause, Section 4, Article 1: Sheldon recognizes that Penny requires displays of affection and is intitled to them as Sheldon's girlfriend. Sheldon humbly requests that public displays remain limited as to keep his anxiety at a minimum when possible. Penny appreciates Sheldon's consideration, and promises to keep public displays of affection limited, except for hand holding. Please see the "Hand Holding Stipulation Clause" for more details.
*Hand Holding Stipulation Clause, Section 1, Article 1: Sheldon will avoid complaining when Penny requests to hold hands. Penny promises to always give notice before reaching for his hand, as to limit the amount of anxiety. Sheldon is expected to have reasonable excuses to refuse the request, such as having unclean hands, or because he is holding too many of her shopping bags and has no available hands to hold.
*Private Displays of Affection Clause: All Private Displays of Affection are allowed. But Penny will keep them to a minimum until Sheldon has become more comfortable with physical affection. She will allow him to set the pace for advancement of the physical aspects of the relationship. Once a new advancement has been made, and Sheldon is able to perform said advancement without discomfort, Penny will include it within their regular private display of affection routine. At ANY time, if Sheldon or Penny is uncomfortable with something they have tried, they will strike it from their routine. Both parties must feel comfortable.
*The Coitis Clause, Section 1, Article 1: Penny will NEVER push for Coitis. As stated in the "Private Displays of Affection Clause", Sheldon will set the pace for advancement of the physical aspects of the relationship. Once Sheldon and Penny have had coitis, Penny will always ask before initiating coitis to lessen any discomfort.
*The Coitis Clause, Section 1, Article 2: Penny hates the term Coitis, and refuses to use it, but she will allow Sheldon to use the term, as long as it's not used right before, during, or after the act, as it will ruin EVERYTHING.
*The Moonpie Clause: Penny can call Sheldon "Moonpie" in addition to "Sweetie", until such time as Sheldon has approved a different pet name. After all, "other Penny" stated in her universe, it was his favorite nickname from her.
*The Review Clause: At any time, either party can request a review of the agreement, and can call an emergency meeting to discuss changes that need to be made. Otherwise, both parties shall meet every six months to review the agreement. Notice of the review must be given with at least two weeks' notice, and a reminder the day before.
Penny took a look at her additions. She tried to make it sound as smart as possible. She hoped Sheldon would understand that this was her way of accepting his terms. She gently tapped him on the shoulder and waited for him to finish what he was doing. Once she had his full attention, she handed him her revisions. She bit her lip and waited patiently for him to read it.
Sheldon was trying to keep a straight face, but he wanted to smile. He was enormously proud of Penny for her additions to the agreement, and he was so thankful for her thoughtfulness, that he was even willing to overlook her misspelling of the word "coitus". He glanced at her through his peripheral vision, and saw she was nervously biting her lip. He glanced back down at the paper in his hand. He wanted to yell in triumph, but knew that would be inappropriate, especially on a plane. Instead, he quickly leaned over and kissed her full on the lips.
Penny's eyes widened as Sheldon sat back and smiled at her. "Hey, that's against the agreement!" She laughed.
"Ah," he pointed at the agreement "but as you can see, neither of us has signed it yet, so it doesn't count." He smirked.
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Missy was hiding behind the vending machines, trying to look like she wasn't. She wanted to observe her brother interacting with Penny for just a few moments. Sheldon looked grumpy and was mumbling about something as they stopped near the baggage claim. She watched as her fussy brother grabbed Penny's hand and laced his fingers with hers while they waited for their luggage. Missy covered her mouth to hold in her squeal. Sheldon-I-hate-germs-Cooper, was holding hands with a girl! Penny smiled up into his face, and he ended up giving her a small smile in return. Missy quickly snapped a photo and sent it to her mother and Meemaw. Just WAIT until they saw this! Not a moment later, her phone trilled out. She quickly answered it before Sheldon's super hearing caught her.
"Mama, what is it?" She whispered.
"Tell me that isn't one of your famous pranks, because if it is, it isn't funny!" Mary growled.
"Mama, I promise, this is real. I'm hiding near the snack machines. I just wanted to observe them a bit before I let them know I was here. And mama…. Sheldon was the one that grabbed her hand, not the other way around!" She whispered excitedly.
"Oh, blessed day! I gotta call your Meemaw, we need to go shopping for hats!"
"Mama," she quickly interrupted "Don't you go ruinin' this before it's even gotten off the ground. I want Penny as a sister-in-law, and if Sheldon finds out you're out buyin' hats before he's made his declarations, then he might dig in his heels and refuse."
"Oh, don't you worry about that. We'll keep everything mum, but mark my words, that girl will be a Cooper by next Christmas."
"Mama, I gotta go, they're gonna start wondering where I am. I'll swing by once they are all settled in."
"Okay, you keep me posted."
Missy said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. She casually stepped out and made her way over to her twin. As she got close, she called out. "There you are Shelly! Come, give your sister a squeeze." She rushed over as she opened her arms and noticed that Sheldon only slightly twitched before allowing himself to be hugged. He even patted her on the back without fuss.
"Hello, Missy. As you already know Penny, I won't introduce you."
Missy waved Sheldon away and grabbed Penny up in a big Texas hug. "Hey there, Penny, I've missed you!" she leaned back "How was your flight?"
Penny blushed and her eyes darted to Sheldon "It was very productive, wouldn't you say so Sheldon?"
He cleared his throat. "I would say that is an accurate description of our travels."
Penny grabbed his arm and tugged "Sheldon, there's our bags." She pointed to where their bags were popping up over the conveyer belt and dropping down onto the carousel.
They grabbed their respective bags and followed Missy out to the parking lot. "So, Shelly, I was thinking, since you can't see Mama just yet, why don't we go out to dinner tonight? Just Meemaw, me, you, and Penny? We'd have to drive out of town, so word doesn't get back to mama that you're here, but I'm sure we can find someplace you'd like."
"Actually, I have a restaurant that I frequent when I visit. It's in Texas City, we should be fine there." He replied as he helped Penny load her luggage in the trunk of the car.
Penny smiled "It's a good thing you packed me an extra dress then, Sweetie."
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"Moonpie!" Connie called happily in greeting as she saw Sheldon step out of the car. He waved before opening the door and helping a young lady who she assumed was Penny out of the back seat. She waited patiently as they walked up the path to the door.
"Hello, Meemaw! It's nice to see you!" He happily allowed her to pull him in for a hug. Meemaw hugs were the best, because she knew exactly how much to squeeze and for how long. He pulled back and smiled. "Penny, this is my Meemaw, Meemaw, this is my best friend and girlfriend, Penny."
Missy punched him on the arm. "Ow!" he rubbed the spot "What was that for?"
Missy seethed "You didn't tell me you two were together!"
"I didn't have to introduce you, because you already know Penny, and you didn't ask."
"Now, children, settle down. No fighting." She pulled Penny in for a squeeze "It is so nice to finally meet you my dear! Come in, and we'll all sit down for a spell." She pulled back, but held Penny's hands in hers. "Sheldon, your favorite cookies are on the table, and Missy, your brownies are cooling on the stove top." Penny and Meemaw stepped back as the twins pushed their way into the house, each trying to be the first to get at their sweets.
Penny could hear the two fighting about Sheldon not disclosing their relationship to Missy at the airport. She couldn't help but smile in fondness. Missy had quickly become a close friend, and Penny was excited to spend some time with her this week. She was also looking forward to getting to know Sheldon's family a bit more. This week should provide her with plenty of insight as to how Sheldon grew up to be… well, Sheldon.
"Why don't we follow those two into the kitchen, and we can sit down and chat?" Meemaw wrapped her arm through Penny's, lead her passed the door, and through the house.
Penny cast her gaze around as Meemaw lead her to the kitchen. Her living room was filled with a variety of bric-a-brac and family photos. It was cozy, welcoming, and warm, much like Meemaw herself. They stepped into the kitchen where Sheldon and Missy were setting the table and placing the goodies out on plates. Sheldon saw them and quickly pulled out a chair for his Meemaw. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Thank you for offering, Penny, but we have everything covered." Sheldon moved to the other side of the table and held a chair out for her as well.
Penny smiled and sat "Thank you, Sheldon, that is very sweet of you."
"Meemaw, would you like a cup of tea, or hot cocoa?"
"Shelly, you know Meemaw likes coffee in the morning." Missy pointed out.
"Yes, but I don't know how to make coffee, since I myself don't drink it." He shot back.
"Don't worry Meemaw, I've already got a pot going. I'll pour it for you as soon as it's done." Missy stuck her tongue out at Sheldon behind Meemaw's back.
Sheldon seethed. His twin sister was always trying to get the better of him. He hadn't realized he'd placed his hands on Penny's shoulders and was squeezing, until he felt her hand lay over his. It was oddly soothing, and he felt his anger slowly drain away. Curious, Penny seemed to have calming powers of some sort. He looked down into her upturned face. She smiled, and he smiled back. He was just about to lean down to kiss her when he remembered where he was. Drat his biological male urges. He stood up straight and cleared his throat. "Penny, would you prefer tea or hot cocoa?"
"Hot cocoa, please."
Missy stared on in shock. This day just kept getting better and better! She knew desire when she saw it in a man's eyes, she just never thought to see that particular look on her know-it-all brother's face. She glanced at Meemaw, who happened to have a smile as big as Texas. She must have seen the same thing Missy had. She couldn't wait to see what the next week would bring.