Chapter 44
A couple of months after moving in 4A, Penny and Sarah, along with Bernadette and Amy went to a wedding dress shop to choose the design of their wedding dresses and have their measurements taken.
"Sweetie, are you having fun?" asked Penny as Cynthia the seamstress takes her measurement, writing on a piece of paper.
Sarah took her grape juice in a wine glass and toasted with Amy and Bernadette. "I am mommy!" said the child as Bernadette and Amy smiled.
"Are you excited for your mom and dad's wedding?" asked Cynthia.
"I am." she said. "I'm sure my mom would be beautiful that day." she added making Penny shed a tear at her step-daughter's comment.
"Aww, thank you sweetheart. I'm sure you and Amy would look pretty too!" said Penny.
"Okay Penny, why don't you try on some of the dresses over there so you could choose which one you like." said Cynthia. "Amy, your turn." she added as Amy stepped forward to have her measurements taken.
"Bernie, can you help me out?" Penny said.
"Sure thing." said Bernadette as she followed Penny to help her put on a wedding dress.
After a few minutes, Penny came out from the fitting room, showing off the dress to Amy and Sarah.
"Oh my god mommy, you look so pretty!" said Sarah.
"You think your father would like this dress?" Penny asked.
"I'm sure mom." she said.
"Amy?" Penny said.
"You look great Penny." said Amy. "Very stylish and elegant." she added.
"She's right mommy. And don't worry about daddy, even if you wear a garbage bag, he'll still love you all the same!" she said making all the adults laugh.
"That's funny!" said Bernadette.
"Why don't you try on some more?" said Cynthia while Sarah and Amy nodded.
Penny must have tried on a dozen wedding dresses, eventually settling on a simple and elegant design highlighting her beautiful figure and shoulders as Cynthia took another pass at Penny's measurements to make sure the dress fits her perfectly.
Amy, Sarah and Bernadette then took their turns in trying out their dresses.
"Oh my god sweetheart! You look amazing!" said Penny as Sarah made a twirl while wearing her dress.
"This is so much fun mommy!" said the child as Amy went out of the fitting room, dressed in her maid-of-honor dress.
"Amy!? You look beautiful!" said Bernadette.
Amy touched her hair. "I know right!?" said Amy while admiring herself in front of the mirror.
"Okay, you two get back in there and try on some more clothes!" said Penny making the two more excited.
After trying on several dresses, the girls settled on their choices as Cynthia made sure to double check their measurements to adjust their dresses for a perfect fit.
After hours of spending time in the dress shop, the girls went home, excited and happy for Penny's special day with Amy and Sarah more excited than the bride herself greatly amusing Penny and Bernadette.
"Do you think the guys are having as much fun as we are?" asked Amy.
"I don't know, but knowing them, they would find a way to sneak in some 'nerd' stuff in their suits, maybe a logo or a Star Trek symbol or something." said Penny making Bernadette and Amy laugh.
"Are they gonna do that mommy?" asked Sarah.
Penny looked at the child and smiled at her. "They wouldn't even dare sweetheart!" she said reassuring her stepdaughter.
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Meanwhile in a tuxedo shop in Pasadena, Leonard and the guys were having their measurements taken by a tailor as Raj and Howard tried on different suits to wear on the wedding.
"I still don't understand why we can't put the Star Trek insignia in our suits Leonard?" said Sheldon as he stood still while the tailor took his measurements.
"Because Penny and I are getting married, not going to Comic Con!" said Leonard to the amusement of Howard and Raj.
"Okay, but will it be alright if I wear my Star Trek uniform underneath my suit?" asked Sheldon.
"If you want, sure." said Leonard. "And please don't make your speech in Klingon, because if you do, the girls would definitely come down hard on us." he added.
Sheldon frowned. "Aww, nuts!" he said.
"Come on Sheldon, this wedding is all about the girls, we're just there to provide support to them." said Leonard.
"He's right dude." said Raj as Howard nodded in agreement.
Sheldon sighed. "Look at us, planning weddings, getting engaged." he said. "A few years ago we were carefree and free do to whatever we want but now here we are, doing grown-up stuff and getting pushed around by our ladies." he added.
Leonard shook his head. "We're not getting pushed around Sheldon. This is the way things are supposed to be, growing up and moving on." said Leonard.
"Alright, if you say so?" Sheldon said.
"So, when are you and Bernadette planning to get married?" Leonard asked Howard.
"We have no date yet. Maybe within the year." said Howard.
"Really?" asked Raj. "I thought you would want to marry her as soon as possible, you know, put it in the bag so to speak." he added.
"We're not in a rush Raj. And she's in the middle of finishing her doctorate. She wanted it done first so we could concentrate on the wedding after." said Howard.
"That's nice to know dude." said Raj.
"So are you gonna bring Lucy to our wedding?" asked Leonard.
"I'll try to bring her." said Raj.
"She's still anxious around people huh?" said Leonard as Raj nodded. "Why don't you introduce her to us one at a time if she's anxious about meeting too many people at the same time?" said Leonard.
"Well, I haven't thought of that yet." said Raj. "Yeah, maybe I'll tell that to Lucy. Hopefully she'll agree. Do you think you or Penny would agree to meet her?" asked Raj.
"Really? I'm your best friend and you're not gonna introduce me to your socially awkward girlfriend?" Howard asked.
"Dude, I don't want you to weird her out. At least if it's Leonard or Penny or even Amy, I'm sure they won't say anything to scare her off." Raj said.
Howard sighed. "Fine. I can weird her out later." he said.
"How about Leonard's daughter?" said Sheldon, surprising the three.
"I don't know." Raj said.
"It's totally fine with me as long as I'm gonna be there looking out for her." said Leonard.
"Really dude? I don't want Lucy to weird out Sarah with her anxiety." said Raj.
"Do you think she'll say something inappropriate to Sarah?" asked Leonard.
"No it's not that." said Raj. "You know what, why not? But I want you to be there, I don't want Lucy scaring off your daughter or something." Raj added.
Leonard smiled. "Sure Raj. No problem." he said.
"Thanks Leonard. You're a good friend." Raj said tapping him on the shoulder.
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"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" asked Penny as Leonard waited for his daughter to come out from her bedroom.
"I'm sure. Lucy has some issues with too many people. If you're there, she might be intimidated, get scared and run away." he said. "We're here to help Raj with his girl, not break them up." he added.
"So you're saying I'm a scary person?" said Penny, folding her arms while giving him the look.
"No. Of course not!" he said walking up to her and putting his hand on her waist. "What I'm saying is that you're so beautiful and Lucy might find it a little bit intimidating." he said smiling at her.
"I want to punch and kiss you at the same time for saying that!" she said. Leonard quickly gave her a peck on the lips the same time Sarah walked into the living room, ready for their trip to meetup with Raj and Lucy. "Trust me, it's gonna be fine." he said as he looked at his daughter. "Are you ready honey?" he asked.
"Yes daddy." said Sarah as she held her father's hand going to the door.
"Wait! Aren't you forgetting something young lady?" Penny said looking at Sarah.
Sarah smiled and ran up to her stepmother. "I'm just joking! Bye mommy, I love you so much!" she said kissing Penny on the cheek.
"Now I really regret teaching you how to do that." Penny said kissing Sarah's cheek before Leonard took the child's hand and went out of the apartment while Penny waved goodbye to them.
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Later at the mall, Leonard saw Raj and Lucy sitting by a coffee shop, talking and having some coffee. Raj saw Leonard and waved at them, inviting Leonard and Sarah to join them.
"Hey guys!" said Raj. "Thanks for meeting up with us." he said. "Leonard, I want you to meet Lucy, Lucy, this is Leonard and his daughter Sarah." he added.
Lucy gave them a weak smile, trying hard not to freak out. "Hello!" she said.
"Hi Lucy, it's nice to finally meet you!" he said then looking down to his daughter. "Sarah honey, what are you gonna say?" said Leonard.
"Hi Ms. Lucy. It's nice to meet you." said Sarah, giving her a slight wave.
Leonard then helped his daughter sit down before sitting down himself while a waiter took their orders. Sarah chose a fruit shake and a slice of chocolate cake while Leonard settled for a cappuccino. They sat there for a while waiting for the orders to be served, as Lucy felt a little uncomfortable at meeting Leonard and his daughter.
Raj leaned over to Lucy. "Are you okay?" he asked as Lucy gave him a weak smile and nodded.
"So, Lucy, how did you and Raj meet?" asked Leonard making Lucy more anxious. Leonard saw this and decided to retract his question. "It's fine if you don't want to answer." he said trying to make her feel at ease.
Lucy took a deep breath and gave Leonard a weak smile. "No it's alright. I met him at the comic book store." she said
"You met her at Stuart's comic book store?" Leonard asked Raj.
"Yeah. She was looking around and I thought I'd introduce myself." said Raj.
"Wow, that is so cool." said Leonard. "Sarah honey, do you want to say something?" he said trying to keep the conversation going.
Sarah looked at Lucy. "Do you like comic books too Ms. Lucy?" she said.
"Oh? Not really. I was just passing by and saw this store and I decided to come in and check it out." said Lucy. "The guy who runs that place is somewhat strange right?" she added.
"Uh huh." said Sarah.
Lucy smiled at the child, feeling a little at ease. "Raj told me everything about you. He told me you like riding horses." said Lucy.
"Yes, but my daddy doesn't allow me to ride a regular horse. He only let's me ride a small pony." said Sarah.
"I think your dad just wants you to be safe." said Lucy making Leonard and Raj smile at the girl's interaction.
"Are you also a scientist like uncle Raj?" asked Sarah.
"No, I'm a website designer." said Lucy.
"Wow! Like Disney and Spongebob?" asked Sarah making Leonard and Raj laugh a little.
Lucy smiled at Sarah. "No. It's about prom themes and designs." she said.
"That is so cool!" Sarah said as a waiter came by, placing their order on the table.
"Thank you Sarah. You're so sweet!" said Lucy.
"So are you like, uncle Raj's girlfriend?" asked Sarah greatly surprising the three. Leonard became worried immediately, knowing that Lucy might feel uncomfortable again as Raj decided to chime in.
"Uh Sarah, Lucy and I haven't got…" he said as Lucy quickly cut him off.
"Yeah. I'm your uncle Raj's girlfriend." she said smiling at Sarah. Raj and Leonard were shocked and couldn't believe what they were hearing. Raj was stumped and just stared at Lucy before shaking himself back into the moment.
"Uh, Lucy, are you...are you sure?" he asked. Lucy looked at him and smiled, nodding her head making Raj almost jump out of his seat from excitement. "Ugh, thank you!" he said gently placing his arm over her shoulder.
"We've been seeing each other for a while now so I thought, why not right?" Lucy said.
"We're happy for you Raj." said Leonard while giving him a high five.
"Thanks dude." Raj said. "I appreciate it." he added. They continued making small talk as Sarah and Lucy exchanged stories with the child telling her about her school and friends and Lucy telling the child about her job and hobbies.
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Later before sundown, Leonard and Sarah entered the apartment finding Penny on the couch watching some television.
"Hey you guys! How'd it go?" Penny asked as Sarah ran to her stepmother, hugging her tight.
"It went great mommy!" said Sarah as Penny kissed her.
"Really? Tell me." Penny said.
"Uncle Raj has a girlfriend now!" she exclaimed making Leonard laugh at his daughter's excitement.
"Oh my god! That is so exciting!" Penny said laughing out loud.
"Ms. Lucy is so cool. She makes these websites for proms, parties and dances and stuff!" Sarah said.
"Looks like you had fun with her huh?" said Penny.
"I did mommy. I think uncle Raj is gonna bring her to the wedding." she said.
"Well I want her to be there." said Penny.
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Later that night, Sarah was already in bed sleeping as Leonard entered their bedroom seeing Penny already in bed, reading on her iPad. He took off his robe and joined his fiance on the bed, kissing her on the cheek while getting under the covers.
"I'm really happy for Raj." he said as Penny put the iPad down on her nightstand.
"Me too. At least he won't be alone on our wedding. Imagine how awkward would that be." said Penny.
"I know. I think that happened to me a couple of times when I attended a colleague's wedding and I can feel everybody just feeling sorry for me for being single." he said. "I had to come up with a lame excuse to leave the reception knowing that they would probably be talking about me and my sad social life." said Leonard.
Penny leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Aww, poor baby." she said consoling him. "But now, you're the one getting married!" she added.
"Damn right babe!" he said kissing her on the lips.
Penny put her hands on his face as he moved on top of her without breaking their kiss. "Hmm, I like where this is going." she said teasing him.
"Buckle up future Mrs. Hofstadter!" he whispered as he turned off the lamp beside their bed as they got under the covers, undressing each other while making love.