*I'm sorry for the delay in posting, last week was rough. First my computer deleted half of my chapter and I couldn't recover it, so I had to re-write it, and then I had some health issues come up, and then a death in the family to round things out. Thank you all for the lovely comments and kudos! You have no idea how much it means to me! I hope y'all continue to enjoy my story. I'm doing my best to keep the "voices" of the characters on par! Thank you for reading!

*Chapter 4*

Sheldon was in heaven. Metaphorically speaking, and not comparable to the Christian heaven his mama was always going on about. No, this was heaven on Earth. Not only were there booths upon booths of cosplay creations, but there were demonstrations, workshops on creating and maintaining characters, and there was Penny. Penny was excitedly pointing out different items and loved the reenactment workshop. She even signed them up for a holiday themed LARP weekend next month. He was satisfied with the group, as they were going for a more traditional Yule theme rather than Christmas. Normally he would have baulked at any event not scheduled further out, since he preferred a two-month notice on any overnight trip, but he was more than willing to make an exception for this. They were searching for a food vendor that met his specifications when his phone rang. He knew who it was by the specialized ring tone. "I'm sorry Penny, I have to take this."

"Go ahead Sweetie, I don't mind a bit."

Sheldon gave Penny a small smile as he answered the phone "Hello, Meemaw! How are you doing?"

Penny smiled, she simply adored Sheldon's Meemaw. They chatted often, just as she chatted with Mary and Missy. They all knew that they could rely on her to tell them how Sheldon was doing. He didn't tend to give them many details, and the guys really weren't much of a help. They also spoke with Leonard, but Missy told her that he tended to give them the 'wrong' kind of info. Leonard would explain how work was going, and any new 'quirks' he might have developed, as where Penny would tell them if Sheldon was getting enough sleep and taking care of himself. "Tell her I say hi!" she whispered loudly.

"Oh, excuse me, Meemaw, but Penny says 'hi'."

"Tell her I say hello back!"

Sheldon relayed the message, much to Penny's delight.

"I'm sorry Moonpie, am I interrupting?"

Sheldon got lost in Penny's smile and stumbled a bit to answer "No, no, of course not Meemaw, Penny and I are out at a LARPing festival."

"Is that where you dress up and beat each other up with foam swords?"

"Well, not always swords, but the basic principle applies, but how do you know about LARPing?"

"Susan from bridge club has a nephew in Kansas who is really into that stuff, she's always showing us pictures of him running around in the forest dressed up as an elf or something like that. So, are you and Penny going 'LARPing'?"

Sheldon smiled proudly, even though his Meemaw couldn't see him "Actually, we are. Penny signed us up for a weekend just before the holidays."

"Oh, so it's next month then?"

"Yes, Penny and I will be searching for supplies after we have lunch."

"Well, it's a good thing I called then. I know you hate short notice on things like this Moonpie, but it couldn't be avoided. I called to invite you out for a visit two weekends from now. You see, I had a friend from town pass away a few weeks ago, and it's put me in a bit of a sad mood. Another close friend of mine said I needed to get my mind off things, and 'get out of my funk'. I agreed."

"Meemaw, I'm so sorry for your loss, but you know I don't do funerals."

"Oh, Shelly, it's not for a funeral, I decided to throw your mama a surprise birthday party, and I need you to come out for it."

"But mama's birthday isn't until January, and it's only the second of November!"

"Yes, Shelly, I'm not so old that I can't read a calendar." she responded sarcastically "You know Mary, she could sniff out a surprise party better than a Coonhound sniffs a coon. That's why I have to do it now, that way she doesn't find out." she took a deep breath "Now, I booked the Heather Bed and Breakfast because I know it's on your approved list of places to stay when you can't stay at home, and since the whole purpose of this is a surprise, you obviously can't stay at you mama's."

Sheldon sighed "I suppose I could book a flight out. What days do I need to be there?"

"Well, I was thinking if you came on a Wednesday and stayed until Monday, you could help me get everything set up and ready? I promise to make you some of your favorite treats while you're here."

Sheldon thought about that for a moment, while he didn't want to change any of his daily plans, he did love Meemaw's baking. "Tuesday would be better for me to fly out, there are less people on the plane on Tuesdays and I can get the ticket for a lower price. Would that be acceptable?"

"Tuesday coming in and Tuesday going out? A whole week with my Moonpie? I wouldn't mind that in the least!"

"Well, I meant Tuesday to Monday, but I suppose I could convince Gablehouser to give me the time off..."

"Good! Now, let me talk to Penny." She interrupted before he could change his mind.

"Yes, Meemaw."

Sheldon covered the phone with his hand and spoke quietly "Penny, my Meemaw would like to speak to you."

Penny's smile widened "Of course!" she gestured enthusiastically for him to give her the phone "Hello Mrs. Tucker! How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm just fine Penny, and you just call me Meemaw. How are you doing dear?"

Penny smirked at Sheldon; she couldn't wait to tell him that she was given permission to call his grandmother Meemaw as well. "I'm doing fantastic! What can I do for you?"

"Funny you should ask, I have a huge favor to ask of you, and I hope you're up for the task."

"Ask away, I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Perfect!" Meemaw said happily "I'm throwing a surprise birthday party for Mary, and I invited Shelly. It's in two weeks, and I wanted to extend the invitation to his California friends. Mary goes on and on about y'all every week at church. I know she would be proud as punch if you could attend, but I know if I ask Shelly to pass on the invitation, he might not make sure that happens in a timely fashion. I invited y'all out for Christmas last year, and since none of you showed, I'm assuming it's because he didn't mention it."

Penny glared at Sheldon "You would be correct in your assumption."

Sheldon was worried, Penny was glaring at him, and he wasn't sure why. He wondered what his Meemaw could have said to elicit that response.

"Well, if you could make sure the invitation gets to everyone, I would be mighty 'precative."

"I can definitely do that for you."

"Perfect! Could you also make sure my Moonpie packs something nice to wear? And I don't mean one of those plaid abominations he insists on wearing. You have such great style, so I know you are up for the task."

"I can do that as well. Not a problem!" she smiled as she thought of Sheldon all dressed up. She loved seeing the man in a suit. While it might be a bit overdressed for this occasion, she was sure she could find something appropriate for him to wear that looked just as good on him.

"One last favor? If it's not too much to ask, he agreed to come out Tuesday to Tuesday, and while everyone else can just come for the weekend, I was hoping I could twist your arm into coming out with him? He doesn't like flying, so having a friend there would really help. Plus, I could use help with decorations and such. While Sheldon has agreed to assist, he isn't exactly the best at that kind of stuff, and this needs a woman's touch."

"I will have to see if I can get the time off, and if I have the funds for it, but I will do my best!"

"Don't you worry about a thing. Shelly will take care of it. It's only right. Now, I will see you both in two weeks. Tell my Moonpie that I love him, and give him a squeeze for me! Bye!"

Penny stared at the phone for a second before holding it out to Sheldon, and here she though Mary was good at manipulating people. "Here you go," she handed him the phone "Meemaw said to tell you goodbye, that she loves you, and she will see you soon."

He took his phone back and stuck it in his pocket. "Thank you, Penny, now what did my Meemaw want to talk to you about?"

"Why didn't you ever tell us we were invited for Christmas?"

Sheldon tried to keep his nervous tics under control. "Penny, please don't be mad, I couldn't invite you."

Penny folded her arms over her chest "And why not? Are you ashamed of us? Of me?"

Sheldon's shoulders and head dropped in defeat "Of course not. I didn't invite you, because if I did, you would have come, and since I didn't want to go myself, I couldn't invite you."

"Sheldon, why wouldn't you want to go home for Christmas?"

He looked pleadingly at her "Penny, you know how I feel about Christmas, going home is even worse. My mother makes me go to church for the Christmas pageant, then Christmas Eve service, then Christmas day service, and so on, and so on. She has the family over for a huge Christmas dinner and I have to dress up and hold hands for prayer, and presents! All the presents!" his voice sounded panicked, even to his own ears "It's all too much. I just can't do it."

Penny couldn't stay mad at him, while she didn't agree with his views on Christmas, she could at least understand them. Sheldon had explained before about how he felt in regards to present giving. She thought it was a bit sad, she gave gifts every year, and never felt the need to keep tabs. It said something about his upbringing, but she wasn't sure what. "I get it Sweetie, but next time, just talk to us."

Sheldon scoffed "Do you honestly believe that if Wolowitz knew, he would abstain from going to keep me from being uncomfortable?"

Penny thought about that for a second "Well, no, but do you honestly believe that I wouldn't go all 'Junior Rodeo' on his ass if he tried it?"

"This is true. I apologize, Penny. I'll make sure to tell you next time."

Penny wrapped her arm through his "Good! Now that that's settled, let's find us some food and we can discuss our trip to Texas!"

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They'd found a vendor that was cooking turkey legs over an open flame. Sheldon declared this to be the best option for lunch since they could see how the food was being prepared. It didn't stop him from asking the poor man a million questions about his food handling procedures, but luckily the guy had a sense of humor about it all, and answered every question with patience and understanding. They found a half empty table and sat down across from one another. There were two other people at the other end, a man and a woman, both dressed similar to many of the other people walking around in costume. The man had long red hair and a full beard to match, the woman had dark brown, almost black, hair braided down to her waist.

"I don't understand. Why do I have to make a new character before we go? Why can't I just be Queen Penelope?"

Sheldon finished chewing and swallowed before answering "What kind of Queen would be fighting with only one knight? Where is your army? It doesn't make any sense. We can create another character that is just as good."

Penny pouted "But, I like Queen Penelope. It isn't fair."

Sheldon raised an eyebrow "I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'life is not fair', Penny. While we'll be rushed to complete a full character profile, we should be able to manage. Provided we can both find suitable attire here today, that is."

"Sheldon, we have almost a whole month. How would we be rushed?"

"Penny, Penny, Penny." He put his turkey leg on his plate and wiped his hands with his napkin and leaned forward. "We will need to create a full backstory on your character, calculate all your stats, determine which class level you are, what race you belong to, and what your alliance is. In addition, we will need to familiarize ourselves with the weapons of our choosing, and will need to purchase or make any of our gear. Bear in mind that we also just agreed to go to Texas in two weeks, which will take time away from our preparations for this. We'll be lucky if we're ready in time."

"Excuse me"

Penny and Sheldon turned to the two people sitting at the other end of the table.

The woman smiled "I don't mean to interrupt, but we couldn't help but overhear. Your character is a Queen?"

Penny smiled in response "Technically I've only played her in Age of Conan, but I had hoped to use her in the event we are going to."

The woman leaned forward, obviously interested in the conversation. "Oooo! Which event?"

"We just signed up for the Yuletide weekend with Melvador."

"Hey! That's our gang!" The woman reached out and held out a hand "Hi, my name's Alice, and this is my fiancé Dirk."

Penny shook the proffered hand "My name is Penny, and this is my Sheldon."

"Hello Penny and her Sheldon, it's nice to meet you." Alice said with a smirk.

Penny laughed when she saw the look on Sheldon's face, he looked a little off. "Technically he's not 'my Sheldon' per se, but he is Sheldon, and he is my friend, and my date for the day." That last part brought a smile to his face, so she must have done something right.

"Hello. My name is Dr. Sheldon Cooper, it's nice to meet you." Sheldon nodded in acknowledgement.

"Doctor you say?" Dirk piped in, clearly interested in meeting Sheldon.

"Yes, I'm a theoretical physicist at Cal Tech." Sheldon replied enthusiastically.

"I did my undergrad at Cal Tech. I have a doctorate in chemical engineering. Scientist by day, nerd by night." Dirk replied.

"Really...where did you attend grad school?" Sheldon inquired.

"Stamford. I loved it there, but missed home, so I moved back to California after graduating."

As Sheldon and Dirk got to talking, Alice turned to Penny. "I hope Sheldon is looking for a new friend, because Dirk is going to latch on. While most people here are nerds like us, not everyone has a doctorate. He loves talking science-y stuff, and I'm not much help on that front."

"Well, you should be forewarned, Sheldon is a certified genius, and he isn't shy about making sure you know it," she replied conspiratorially "and I'm no help on that front either. I also don't think I can be classified as a nerd. This is my first time attending something like this."

"I think just being here classifies you as a nerd. A noob, but still a nerd." Alice laughed.

"A noob is someone new to something, or something like that, right?" Penny couldn't remember. She'd heard the boys use the word before, but she only ever understood half of what they say.

Alice smiled "Pretty much. It usually refers to someone new and inexperienced with whatever you're doing," she waved the comment aside "but don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. Everyone here loves to help. We tend to be pretty open to new people."

"Thank goodness." Penny said in relief "I love the guys, but it'll be nice to have a girl to talk to about this stuff."

Alice reached into her pouch, pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something down "Here, this is my card, but it has all my contact info on it. I wrote my cell and personal email on there as well. We can get to know each other better before Yule. We definitely need more girls in the group."

Penny looked at the business card and back up at Alice. "Thanks! You make costumes?"

"Yes. Dirk and I make a wide variety of clothing, armor, and accessories. That's actually my nine to five. I'm a seamstress by trade."

"That is so cool! Do you have something that might fit me? I've been informed that I'm on a time frame." Penny smirked.

Alice laughed "I'm pretty sure we can hook you up, but not until after we get dessert from the Bundt Cake King. He makes the best cinnamon swirl bundt cakes I've ever tasted."

"Yes, Please!"

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"I think this one should fit you."

Penny wandered over to where Sheldon was standing. On a mannequin was the most beautiful costume she had ever seen. Tight chocolate brown leather pants, a hunter green tunic, matching brown leather belt with satchel, a thick cape a few shades darker than the tunic with faux fur lining the edge, and matching wool felt hat. The whole ensemble had the most beautiful embroidery, all done in a silvery thread. She lightly ran her fingers over the pattern in awe.

"I can take it down for you, we have a fitting tent in the back. I agree with Sheldon, it should fit you." Alice said from behind her.

Penny nodded, and watched as Alice carefully removed the pieces. She wasn't sure how much this was going to set her back, but if needed, she was willing to part with a few pairs of designer shoes to make this happen. She followed Alice to the back of the tent. Just as she was about to step into the dressing tent, Sheldon caught her attention.

"I will wait here and discuss armor options with Dirk. I'm confident that will suit you perfectly, but you will need the proper accessories."

Penny nodded and stepped behind the curtain.

"Sheldon, I said no."

"Penny, it is customary for the gentleman to pay on a date, and correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a date."

Penny pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. She adored Sheldon, but sometimes he drove her crazy. "It is a date, but you can't buy all this for me!"

"Why not? We both needed clothing, armor, weaponry, and other accoutrements for our upcoming larping experience. We've already discussed our time restraints, and we were able to find everything we needed right here."

Penny could tell that Sheldon was genuinely confused. "Sweetie, while it is customary for a guy to pay on a date, that usually refers to dinner, or movie tickets, or things like that. Not that they spend hundreds of dollars on costuming." She explained patiently.

"So, if I took you out to an expensive dinner that cost hundreds of dollars it would be acceptable?" he scoffed "I find that ridiculous. We would consume the food, and get nothing more out of it. With this, we can get multiple uses! It is much more economical to spend date money this way. Plus, I saw your face when you came out to look at yourself in the full length mirror. That, in and of itself, is well worth whatever I spend on all this."

"That's very sweet of you, but I would never let you spend hundreds of dollars on a dinner, Sheldon." Penny argued.

"What if it was a charity dinner? Those are very expensive, but the money goes to a good cause. Are you really so stubborn?" Sheldon volleyed back.

"Pot, meet kettle." Penny rolled her eyes.

"If I may interject here?" Alice quietly interrupted.

"Oh, Alice, I am so sorry, you must have some strong opinions of us after all this." Penny replied sheepishly.

"Oh, no, you're fine. I just wanted to say, technically you are both right. Penny, it is the social norm for the guy to pay on a date, and some dates cost more than others. As long as the purchases are being offered by the other person, it could be considered rude to decline unless you have a valid reason." she turned to Sheldon "And Sheldon, while it is widely accepted that the man pays on a date, that doesn't mean you buy exorbitantly priced gifts on said date. Especially since you two are still newly dating."

"Ah-ha!" Penny shouted "Gifts! You hate giving and receiving gifts, that is why you didn't go home for Christmas. Remember the whole gift debt thing?"

Sheldon sighed "Penny, do you not remember how you gave me Leonard Nemoy's DNA? While that was not the intended gift, the fact that you risked your job by asking for an autograph, and stealing the napkin it was on, meant more to me than you will ever know. Growing up, my family bought me presents that they thought I wanted, instead of what I actually asked for." he took a deep breath "If you insist on using my own gift giving rule against me, then it behooves me to point out that I will always be in your debt for that gift. Not just because of the gift itself, but because that was the first time I ever felt that someone really understood me. It was the first time that I felt loved."

There was a slight pause as the two looked into each other's eyes. "Yeah..." Alice stammered "I'm going to have to go with Sheldon on this one, Penny." She took the card that Sheldon held out for her and started the transaction before Penny could argue. If she did, Alice might have to hit her new friend over the head with a foam mallet.

"Sheldon. That's not fair, and you know it." Penny whined.

"I'll remind you again about that saying..." Sheldon smirked.