A/N. Sorry about the delay in publishing Chapter 18. I had written it a while ago but not happy with it so had to rewrite. Also, RL got in the way and found out I had an 18-year-old daughter who I have been getting to know after DNA test proved I was her father.
Penny waited patiently and nervously she was looking forward to the meeting, but she also had this driving curiosity of a deep feeling of not fitting in. What would they be like, where they different from her birth parents or similar. Penny was excited and scared at the same time. Will she have that deep connection she had with her family, so many questions but not enough answers. She groaned. Penny knew she wasn't doing this for her own selfish reasons. She genuinely wanted to meet them, not because she felt guilty and owe them anything. She was doing it for her and only her. She needed to be at a place of calm where her mind can come to a place of clarity, freedom, and peace. The new possibilities in her life and free herself from this emotional bondage of her real family. There was a knock on the door Penny's heart skipped a beat; she waited nervously as Leonard answered the door. Penny couldn't see who was at the door as Leonard was blocking her view. She wondered what they look like, where they the spitting image of her own family. Okay, stay cool. Penny said to herself. It didn't take long to find out as Leonard moved out of the way to let them in. For a split moment, Penny thought her family had come back to life. The resemblance was astonishing. The woman caught her eye first, they stared at each other as Penny caught the first glimpse of her clone family. Susan looks like a lovely lady, unassuming, modest and mildly overweight just like her real mother, but she wasn't the woman who raised her, and that's not a connection she could force. Looking at the man her clone father, if Penny didn't know better, she would have thought she was dreaming. Penny looked at the face of the man whose DNA sculpted how she looked. She wanted to see what similarities they had and what his personality was like. He was the same height as her father, same smile? Is he funny or loud? He looked just like her father. Features and all. She thought. The woman was first to react as she rushed toward Penny and embraced her, she held Penny's face and kept repeating her name and how she looked so much like her Penny. They all fell into a hug as Leonard watched from the door, the emotion of it all was now getting to him, he tried hard not to cry but could not help shedding a few tears. After what felt like hours but was minutes, they all sat down, and Leonard tries to keep the conversation going.
"Can I get you guys something to drink."
"We are okay, thank you," Wyatt said and turned to face Penny. "It's so good to meet you finally. We have heard a lot about you. I cannot believe how extremely alike you look to our Penny. Same size and height, you even wear your hair the same way."
Penny smiled. "You look just like my father; I can't believe you guys are here." Penny looked at the siblings. Since knowing about this family, the emotion that followed were happiness, sadness, and hope; now she met them she felt comfortable just like she used to with her own family. At first, Penny couldn't hear a word they're saying, only the echoes of her mind, everybody's was talking at her. She felt anxiety, and as panic began to settle in, she breathed in and out a few times to relieve the fear, it worked. Penny wanted to allow for the possibility of some type of relationship if that is what would naturally come from meeting them. They asked so many questions, and Penny gladly answers as the best she could but Penny felt terrible because her mind was whirling a thousand miles an hour, she couldn't think of much questions to ask, her mind was blank. She felt she already knew them; she was proud of her new found family and grateful that they were open and shared what happened to their daughter so long ago with her and for their welcoming acceptance. For the first time in a long time. The world finally made sense again to Penny. There has been a lot of smiling, and a lot of crying. But above all. Penny never knew one could feel so connected with these people. As an empath, she always connected easily with people, but never the full connection and didn't even know it was possible. The emotion was getting to her. Penny cried as her brother explained that he and his sister had been agonizing over whether they wanted to meet her. When they got a solid lead to her whereabouts, they didn't see any sense in worrying over it any longer. They just had to meet her.
"Thanks, this feels surreal you all are so like my family, I feel that I have known you all my life," Penny said.
"When we heard you were alive, we thought it was some dirty trick, and when we saw the photo, we thought it was some miracle but seeing you is just like looking at our daughter." Susan cried.
Penny put her arm around Susan to console her and spoke in a quiet voice. "When I found out about you guys I wanted to meet you so badly, but my loyalty to my family and the pain of getting hurt was something I did not want to feel again." Penny swiped the flowing tears.
"Thank you for agreeing to see us, it means a lot to us, it still a shock to us that you are from a different world but we would love to get to know you," Susan said between tears.
Penny nodded. Seeing these people she never met before, people she somehow recognize immediately, and within a few minutes of talking to them, she knew It wasn't even really so much what they said, but how they were saying it. She felt like she had known them all her life and knowing that their Penny shared similar tastes in food and fashion made her feel more close to them.
"Will we see you again?" Susan asked.
"I don't know it depends on what is decided by both governments if they choose to keep or destroy the time machine."
"You are no different from our Penny it's scary. It just feels like you have come back from the dead. Please consider coming back; we will gladly welcome you into our family with open arms." Wyatt said.
Susan added, "It doesn't matter that you are not from our world, but you are still our daughter from another world." Their words touched Penny she felt at home with them, nothing felt different, the memories, habits, personality it was surreal.
"Leonard and I have to go back and recover one of the time machines that are in the wrong hands, once our mission is complete, I will come back I promise,"
Penny assured Susan. One of the worst emotions in life is that of regret and Penny has had her fair share those. They had a pleasant conversation, one of many to come she hoped. It was surreally natural, like old friends just catching up.
Leonard and Penny sat on the sofa. Penny rested her head on his shoulder. She was exhausted but happy. Leonard wrapped his arm around Penny and kissed her forehead.
"So what do you think of them?" Leonard asked Penny.
"They are adorable people. It weird, but I feel like I've got my family back. I know they are not, but they are so similar in many ways." Penny said.
"They are your family from a different dimension. They are lots of multiverses out there. I'm glad you decided to meet them and hope they left a lasting impression on you." Leonard said.
"They did, but I still don't understand the physics of multiverses," Penny said
"Multiple universes can follow the theory of quantum mechanics it's how subatomic particles behave. I'm sorry it's the only way I can explain it." Leonard replied
"Leonard speak English." Penny rolled her eyes.
"So If we follow the laws of probability, it suggests that for every outcome that could come from one's decisions, there would be a range of universes each of which saw one result come to be."
"Leonard, I say this with sincerity. Shut up." Penny smiled at Leonard and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for making this happen; I wasn't sure at first what to expect, but they showed genuine concern and love for me. Leonard, I don't know what I would do without you. You are my strength." She rested her head back on his shoulder to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. Penny knew she had met the absolute love of her life in Leonard.
Leonard heard the quiver in her voice and sense that Penny wasn't ready to say goodbye to this family yet. He saw how they bonded and acted like they have known each other all their lives. "Do you want to stay a couple of days to get to know them better? I could arrange it." Leonard asked.
"I don't want to get you into trouble, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable or be a burden on you." Penny sincerely responded.
Leonard flashed Penny a simple smile. "We can stay for a few days; it's not a problem. I'm in charge remember."
Penny sat on Leonard lap and snuggled into him, though no words were spoken, they both knew that it not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.