A/N Hi all. For some reason, this was a very hard chapter to write for me (specifically the beginning, up to 6 AM on the 11th). I didn't finish it until this past Wednesday and didn't start editing it until Friday. So, if this chapter sucks, that's why. Oh, I could have waited another week, but I did that last month and didn't want to keep it from you.

I want to plug Jessica Radloff's book, The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series. If you have any interest in the series (and admit it, you do if you are reading this) this book is a must. Remember that Vegas hooker Raj wanted to party with? She (Jody Lynn O'Keefe) was hired to play Katy for the unaired pilot, before Amanda Walsh, and was fired after the table read, how's that for a morsel). Now, I'm a bit biased (see the first paragraph page 495), but I still loved this book and if you loved the series, at any point, you will too.

I finally finished cleaning up all the dead branches from our palm trees, from Hurricane Ian. I've been cleaning and rearranging my drum room (adding a TV for my online lessons) and redoing all my storage and tools in the garage. When you add in all the extra work I have to do while waiting for Mrs. Tensor's bad hip to be replaced, (because she struggles to move), I've been busy.

Coming up, I have to rebuild my storage shed (a whole new one that I will have to put up by myself), retiling our living room and, hallway floors along with re-carpeting our bedroom (we'll have a crew come in for that) and the possibility of a job at the theatre, it appears I will continue to be busy, but will continue to write this story. I'll have an announcement about future stories in next month's A/N. For now, enjoy.

Chapter 10. A Surprise from Alfred.

10 August 8:00 PM

Penny was silent for a few seconds. "Leonard, not having someone else raise them is exactly why I want to stay home."

"Are you going to feel the same way after I go back to work?" said Leonard.

Penny looked away, then down, "I'm not sure, that's why I thought about part-time for Louise, but you just said it wouldn't be fair to her."

"It wouldn't and I'm not talking about putting her on part-time," said Leonard. "I was thinking of keeping her on full-time. Two babies is going to be a handful, even if you want to be here. You can do as much as you want to do and use her as you need or want. Remember, she has experience with twins, and we don't. We can do that after I go back, that will give you two months of being home by yourself…er…well, with Louise. If you think you can handle it and feel that you want to stay home, we can make arrangements to keep her on or let her go. If you decide you want to go back, we just keep her on, maybe add an hour or two a day. We have time to figure it out."

"Won't it be better for the girls, if I'm home with them all the time?" asked Penny.

"That really going to depend on how it affects you, Penny," said Leonard. "If you're home with them all the time, with nothing else to do, will it drive you nuts? Or, even if you don't go back, will you need to get out and do things other than just watch over babies all day?"

Penny didn't say anything, she was thinking about her mother wanting to go out, but her father insisting she stay with the kids. Later, Penny thought her mother resented that. But, I would be doing it because I want to, that would be different, wouldn't it? It might be better if I keep working. Penny realized she didn't have an answer right now. I guess we should just keep Louise around right now. If I do decide to go back to work, she's here. If I decide not to go back, she'll be here to help if I have to be away, she'll be here.

Penny looked at Leonard and smiled, "I just don't know right now. But, I see what you mean about keeping Louise."

Leonard looked directly at Penny and said, "One thing I want you to think about, is whether staying home with the girls is good for you, or is getting out and being more well-rounded better for you? I think if you concentrate on doing what is good for you, what makes you happy, it will also be good for the girls. I think a happy Penny will make for a happy Annika and Jesika."

Penny looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then said, "You have some good points, so, how about this, we keep Louise right now, she helps me with the twins when you go back to work, and I keep thinking about going back. At some point, I'll figure it out, but we keep her, even if I decide not to work. That way, we have her if I run to the store or have an appointment, or just decide I need to get out and do something. It will be easier with both of us if I do that."

Leonard smiled back, "Okay, we have that part figured out."

"Okay, another subject, how about we watch some TV and what would you want to watch?" asked Penny.

"I don't know, any ideas?" Said Leonard.

"Sure, I found a new series," said Penny. "It's about three young witches, it's called Charmed".

Leonard sighed. He had tried to watch it when he was in grad school, but he never really got into it. He shook his head and said, "You go ahead, I have some reading to do, so I can try and figure out our next experiment."

Penny shrugged and turned on the TV, looking for the station with Charmed, while Leonard went to find his Photon Entanglement book.

11 August 6:00 AM

Penny's alarm went off, she picked up her iPhone and stabbed at the screen with her finger, through blurry vision. The alarm kept going so she punch at it several times, finally hitting the alarm notification and shutting off the alarm. After it went silent, she put the phone back on the nightstand. She slowly got out of bed, took off her nightgown, and started getting dressed. You think I'd want to stay in bed, she thought. This was the first time she got out of bed, without hearing crying, since before the twins were born. She put on her exercise clothes, grabbed her phone, and walked out of the bedroom.

She peeked into the twins' room before going down the stairs. She went to the fridge, taking several swigs from her water bottle before putting it back into the fridge. She then walk out to the living room and began stretching. As she was stretching, she thought about the babies, wondering if they would wake up while she was gone. She still would feel guilty if they woke up and Leonard had to do the morning feeding and changing by himself.

Relax Penny, she thought. Leonard and you talked about this, he can handle feeding and changing, he's done it before. And, the twins haven't gotten up before 7:30 for several weeks. There is milk in the fridge if they do, so just do your exercises, Dr. Samuels said it was okay to start exercising, and god knows you need it. You still have 15 pounds to lose.

Penny sighed as she finished her stretching. She went to the fridge and took a couple of more swigs before putting the bottle back in the fridge. She got her AirPods, connected them to her iPhone, found her favorite music station, then walked out the door, leaving the house for her run.

11 August 7:15 AM

Penny came back into the house, grabbing the towel she left by the door. She wiped down her face and arms with the towel. Her legs hurt, her arms hurt, and her chest hurt. She hadn't run in a year and it only took about 10 minutes before she decided would have to cut the run short. She should have known she was out of shape. She walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and drank about half of her bottle, took a breath, then drank the other half. She refilled the bottle from the water on the fridge and drank some more. She was now feeling a bit better and decided she would want coffee, so she turned on the pot before heading to a shower.

She got out of the shower and when she looked at the bed, Leonard was gone and she could hear one of the babies, it sounded like Annika, softly crying. She hurriedly dried off, put her hair up in a towel, and put on her robe. She could hear noises from downstairs, as she walked down the stairs. She could hear Leonard "talking" nonsense words to one of the twins. The other was crying, a bit louder down here, which explained the softly crying from hearing it upstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, Penny said, "Whatcha doing?"

Leonard looked up, "Good morning. I'm feeding Jesika, but Anni is sounding hungry, too. There's another bottle over there," said Leonard jerking his head in the direction of the stove.

Penny walked over and got the bottle, tested it on her arm, then picked up Annika and started feeding her.

"How did the exercise and running go?" asked Leonard.

"I want to die," said Penny. "Taking a year off of your exercise program is not recommended. My legs hurt, my arms, chest back, hell, I just ache all over."

"You didn't take a year off, you were exercising up until four weeks before they were born."

"Not at the level I was doing this morning," said Penny. "I'm going to have to cut back and start a bit slower tomorrow. I'll get back to that level, but it will just take a while."

Leonard smiled at her, "Oh, I know you'll get back to what you were doing before."

"Since I'll be taking it slow, you could join me," said Penny.

Leonard chuckled, "Yeah, sure. Your taking it slow is still too much for me. Besides, I have to stay home and watch the twins."

Penny giggled, "Leave it to you to come up with an excuse, although it is a valid one. We could always wait until Louise gets here and do it together."

"Sure, if you're trying to kill me," said Leonard. "Besides, the cooler, early morning is better, remember? At least that's what you said."

Penny smiled, "Okay, you stay, I'll do my exercise. So what do you have planned for today?"

"I'm going to get my dad this afternoon, remember?" said Leonard. "As soon as I'm finished feeding and changing Jesika here, I'm going back to bed for a bit."

"Well, let me get dressed before you do, okay?"

"I'll allow that," said Leonard.

Penny stuck her tongue out at him, then laughed.

11 August 2:55 PM

Leonard was waiting at the security entrance for his father. The plane was supposed to get to the gate at 2:40 PM, but the arrival board showed it got in early, which made his father's non-appearance, so far, somewhat puzzling. Finally, Leonard saw his father and waved at him. His father waved back and made his way toward Leonard. They shook hands, then hugged with Leonard starting to ask his father about the flight and his father's answers, as they made their way down to the baggage claim, and 15 minutes after getting his bag, they were on the 405, heading back to Altadena.

Most of the talk was about the twins and Alfred's work in Italy over the summer, with Leonard studiously avoiding mentioning Beverly. Alfred was interested in how the twins were doing and Leonard wondered how his new dig either supported or refuted his current Etruscan ideas. Alfred had said that the summer's dig did neither, there simply wasn't enough evidence one way or another. But, he was hoping that next year's dig would give him something.

Alfred sadly pointed out that next year's dig, would be his last, as far as his association with the school went. He would have to retire around the holidays, next year, because of the way the retirement pay was paid out to those over 70. He knew it was coming, but it still made him sad that he wouldn't have a full class load. However, they would be making him a Professor Emeritus, so he would have an association with the school. He could still get mail there, he would have an email address, and every so often he would get to teach a class. But, he basically had only three more semesters to go.

"Well, you can always come and see the twins," said Leonard. '

"Oh, I plan to do that," said Alfred. "And, I have other plans for some traveling. I'll tell you about it later tonight."

"You can tell us during dinner," said Leonard. "Our nanny came in late and is staying to watch the twins while we go to dinner. We have reservations at our favorite Italian restaurant. It's supposed to be authentic, so you can tell us if it is."

Alfred chuckled at that, then said, "How long before we get to your place?"

"About 45 minutes, depending on traffic," said Leonard.

"Then, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a bit of a nap," said Alfred. "I'm a bit tired from getting up early for the flight."

"Go ahead, dad," said Leonard. "I'll wake you about ten to fifteen minutes before we get there. That will give you enough time to look presentable."

"Nothing can make me look presentable, but thanks," said Alfred. He reclined the seat a bit and it wasn't long before Leonard heard him softly snoring.

11 August 4:15 PM

Leonard and Alfred walked in the door, Leonard carrying Alfred's luggage. They saw Louise and Penny burping the babies and Penny waved them over to the dining room table. She introduced Alfred to Annika, before giving her to Leonard. She then hugged Alfred, telling him how good it was to see him and commenting on how good he looked. He returned the compliments, then they broke the hug.

Penny introduced him to Louise, and his other grandchild, Jesika. Leonard asked Alfred if he wanted anything to drink and when he asked for water, Penny also asked for water. It was a bit tricky, but Leonard managed to bring a bottle to both of them while carrying Annika. He then found a chair and sat down.

For the next 10 minutes, Alfred had to go over his flight again, for Penny and Louise. He then spent 15 minutes on a condensed version of his work for the two of them. Penny got Alfred to hold both babies before she and Leonard put them into the playpen. Alfred started asking Penny about her job and if she planned on going back. She simply mentioned that she wasn't sure yet, but she concentrated on explaining what she did. He asked a few more questions about Leonard's work, which Leonard explained.

Alfred carefully watched both of them. Each one going to either of the babies whenever they cried. Alfred was amused by Penny going when Leonard was talking, with Leonard going when Penny was talking. How they both touched each other and smiled while they were doing this. He was also watching Louise and he was impressed with her. She kept to herself while his son and daughter-in-law handled the kids and she didn't say much unless directly asked. On two occasions, she jumped in when one or the other seemed to be overwhelmed. He knew he would be talking to her over the next few days, but he felt Leonard and Penny had made a good decision.

By 5:30, Leonard and Penny started to get ready and Alfred freshened up. They said goodbye to the twins and again thanked Louise for adjusting her work schedule. They drove to the restaurant, got their table and sat down. All three ordered drinks, Penny explaining she had a day's worth of milk ready, just so she could have the wine. They continued their small talk while looking at the menu. After they ordered, the waiter collected the menus and within five minutes, brought their salads.

They were eating when Leonard said, "Dad, you mentioned you had plans for doing more traveling in the future, where are you going?"

A slightly nervous expression came over his father's face. His father paused for a few seconds, then said, "First off, I want to let you know that I've spent some time traveling with Mary Cooper. She came to New Jersey and we spent some time in New York and I visited her in Texas."

Leonard and Penny looked at each other, shock registering on their faces.

"Now, you can't say anything to Sheldon, alright?" said Alfred. "Mary thinks it will confuse him."

Although still having shocked expressions on their faces, both Penny and Leonard nodded, then Leonard said, "Confuse him? It'll upset him for sure. Besides, what's this have to do with your traveling in the future?"

"Ahhhh, ummmm, errrr, I'm not quite sure how to tell you this," said Alfred. "But, Mary Cooper will be traveling to Italy with me next summer, for a few weeks before my dig starts."