Chapter 50: A Return to the Beginning
Sorry this chapter took so long. I picked up another job on the side and I'm being trained to move into a management position in my first job. Still, I have tried to write something every night if I'm not too tired. I hope you enjoy this one.
Once again, we find Sheldon and Niki making their annual pilgrimage to Disneyland. These visits have held some special moments for both of them over the years. Will this year be the same?
After our couple had checked, once again, into rooms 308 and 309 at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, they put their bags down and surveyed the room. Sheldon nodded in satisfaction and informed his wife, "Well, it looks very much the same as it did last year, Niki."
Mrs. Cooper put down her suitcase and asked him in a more-than-slightly sarcastic tone, "What? You thought it would drastically change or something?"
"You misunderstood me. I am merely quite satisfied that nothing has changed since the first time we were in this room."
Niki turned and looked at her husband in amazement, "Nothing's changed? What do you mean by that? We've changed. The first time we entered this room we had never so much as kissed each other. Now, we've known each other carnally thousands of times, we've bought a home and a business, we each won a Nobel Prize, you've won the Sakurai Prize with Leonard, we're married with a child, and we're soon to be blessed with another one. I'd say things have changed."
Sheldon shook his head and continued with his thoughts, "I meant the décor of the room, Niki, not our lives."
Niki's mood immediately changed, and she began to case the room excitedly, "Oh. I suppose that's still the same. Look straight ahead, there's the balcony I was on while looking out over the park. Remember? It was while I was out there that your knock came on the door and you brought us dinner."
"And if you turn to the right, there is the doorway into the bathroom, where we took our first shower together."
Niki continued his train of thought and pointed to her left, "Oh look, Sheldon! There's the same bed where we…uh…did what comes naturally for the very first time."
"An event that I will never forget, no matter what my life span may turn out to be. Woman, you took my heart, mind, and soul as yours from that moment on. I do believe 'I love you' does not do my feelings for you justice."
Niki mused in an absentminded manner, "Do you suppose we will ever bring our children here?"
Sheldon failed to catch the true meaning of her words and replied, "What do you mean? We have brought Lori to Disneyland any number of times."
"No, I meant up to this room. Will we ever bring them here?"
Her husband's answer was quick and adamant, "No. And I don't intend to…ever. This room is ours and ours alone. It is almost a sacred place. This is where it all started, Niki. I don't think I could share that with any of our children."
Niki gave a thoughtful nod and replied, "I see your point, but maybe someday, when we're both old and gray, we will. Anyway, let's get unpacked and then decide what we want to do first."
Sheldon voice went hoarse and ragged as he stated, " I know full well what I want to do first."
She countered him playfully with, "And what would that be?"
Sheldon crossed the room, took his wife in his arms, and stared straight into her eyes as he told her, "I want to make love to you all morning long. Then, I want us to call your mother and Richard and speak with Lori."
"And then?" Niki asked in a teasing voice.
"Then I want to go over to the park, ride all the rides we did that first time, and then return here to have a wonderful candlelight dinner on the balcony."
"Oh, Cooper! I never want to spend the night at Disneyland with anyone but you."
Sheldon couldn't help but tease her with, "What about anywhere else?"
"There, either. I just want to spend my nights with you for the rest of my life."
"But statistically speaking, I may very well die before you do. What then?"
Niki was certain in her response, "I repeat: I only want to spend my nights with you for the rest of my life."
Sheldon checked his watch, looked at the woman in front of him, and asked her, "What about your late mornings?"
Niki pulled his mouth to hers and after a sensual, protracted kiss, she replied, "Same thing."
"Then what do you say we head off to that shower and re-enact an important bit of our personal history?"
Niki headed off in the general direction of the bathroom, as on their first night together, dropping one item of clothing with every step she took. She called back over her shoulder, "Oh, Cooper! I thought you'd never ask!"
One hour later, Niki and Sheldon reluctantly left their bed, donned their clothes once more, and after checking up on their daughter, headed down the stairs to the lobby of the hotel. As always, they both stared in wonder at the amazing artisanship of the décor found there. From the strong wooden beams of the Craftsman styling to the brilliant stained-glass windows, the two scientists took time to stop for a minute and appreciate the beauty of their surroundings.
Soon, however, the pull of the theme park led them out of the hotel and across the expanse that separated California Adventure from Disneyland. As they walked, Sheldon and Niki, as always, discussed their itinerary for the day.
Niki began the conversation with, "I suppose we will ride the train first?"
Sheldon answered her tartly, "You needed to ask that question? Niki, we always ride the train immediately after entering the park."
Unperturbed by his sharpness, Niki looped her arm through his and asked, "And then lunch at the Carnation Café?"
"As always. I assume you will have your traditional turkey sandwich with lemonade?"
"Of course! Just as you will most likely order a cheeseburger with the cheese and condiments on the side.
Sheldon's good humor was fully restored, and he beamed down at his wife and gave a small chuckle, "Ah, how well you know me, little lady!"
Niki took in his smile, gazed up at her tall husband and crowed, "And then on to the carousel!"
"Niki, you know I feel foolish riding that thing."
Her rebuttal was swift, "But you ride it every year with me."
"Only to keep you happy."
Niki then teased, "And when I am happy, how do I repay you?"
Sheldon grinned excitedly at his wife, "You ride Space Mountain with me!"
Niki let out a long sigh, "Yes, Sheldon. When you ride the carousel for me, I will ride Space Mountain for you. I may not like it, but…"
Her husband interrupted her train of thought with an abrupt blurting out of, "No, Niki! You will not do that!"
"Do what? Go on Space Mountain? I've been on it before and like I was about to say, a deal is a…"
Once again, Sheldon put a quick halt to her words, "No, Niki. You are with child. Riding a roller coaster is too risky for both you and our unborn offspring. No, I will not let you ride Space Mountain with me!"
Niki looked over at her husband in surprise, he seldom refused her anything or gave orders to her, but he had definitely done both with his outburst. She thought for a moment and then responded happily with, "All right, no Space Mountain. But that means you are off the hook for the Carousel."
Sheldon once again shook his head emphatically and answered her with a heartfelt, "No, I insist on riding the carousel with you. Who will help you off your steed if I am not there?"
Niki frowned and crossed her arms in front of her as she sternly replied to his question, "Schatze, I am quite capable of getting off a carousel horse under my own power. It's sweet of you to help me, but I could do it on my own."
Sheldon's face took on a look of sadness and he answered her in a low voice, "I know that, Niki, but it is my job as your husband to look out for your welfare while you are carrying our child."
His wife leaned into him as she felt his arm go reassuringly around her shoulders, "I do believe I have the sweetest husband on the face of the earth. Look, if it makes you happy we can both ride the carousel and I will do some shopping while you are on Space Mountain. Just text me when you are finished riding it, okay?"
Sheldon planted a sweet kiss on the top of her head and pulled Niki even closer to him, "That I can live with, Freckles. Now, let us head for the train. I love correcting all the facts they get wrong in the Grand Canyon scenarios."
Niki's eyebrows raised, and she gave a bit of a sigh, "Yes, I know. It is one of the highlights of the day for you."
"And riding Space Mountain."
Niki nodded in agreement, "Okay."
"And watching the fireworks with you."
This time, Niki smiled sweetly as she replied once more, "Okay."
"And spending the night with my beautiful wife in an enchanted place."
At his words, Niki melted into Sheldon's arms and replied in a voice that held much love and promise, "Keep talking like that, Cooper, and you could get lucky tonight."
At her words, Sheldon stopped walking and turned to face his wife. He gently placed a hand on each of her shoulders and tenderly answered, "Niki, I already have. I have you, and Lori, and our unborn child. How much luckier could a man get?
A single tear fell from each of her eyes as she told him, "Did I tell you I love you to the farthest reaches of the universe and back?"
Sheldon smiled, wiped the tears from Niki's face, and pulled her back closer to him and answered, "Quite often. And I love you just as much, if not more."
"Nope. Not possible, Cooper."
Sheldon's face took on an obstinate look and he chided her, "Are you going to argue with me, Mrs. Cooper? I know how very much I love you and coming here always reminds me just how much my love for you has grown."
"I know," Niki whispered softly as she looked down Main Street, "oh, how very well I know."
With the exception of Space Mountain, Sheldon and Niki followed the same itinerary they stuck to every year, and as usual, the happy couple rediscovered just why and how they had fallen in love on that magical day three years in the past.
All too soon their day at the park was drawing to a close and they were once again seated on a wall in front of It's a Small World, waiting for the fireworks to begin. Sheldon began their conversation with, "This is the exact spot where we kissed for the first time."
Niki nodded and scooted closer to her husband, "That it is. I wonder if it will still feel as magical if we kiss again tonight."
"I would venture to say that there is only one way to gather any empirical evidence that would help us answer that question."
"And just what would that be?" Niki ventured coyly.
"This." With that, Sheldon took Niki's face in his, and as he had done three years previous, gently touched her lips with his own.
His love's response to that move proved to them both that the magic of their first kiss was still alive and well and easily called forth. When the both of them finally broke for a much-needed intake of breath, Niki managed to gasp, "Yep, the magic is still there."
Sheldon gave a small chuckle pulled his wife in for another kiss. When it finally ended, he gave her a large grin and teased her, "And after almost two years of marriage and almost two children. You know, this thing may actually work."
Niki drew back a bit and asked him, "What thing?"
"Our marriage."
Sheldon's wife poked him in the ribs playfully and threw him a knowing smirk as she answered, "You think, Cooper?"
Sheldon once again brought his face close to Niki's and before he kissed her once more, he answered her with a heartfelt, "I most definitely do think, Ms. Horner."
An hour later, the happy couple were making their way out of the park and back to their hotel. Sheldon once more linked his arm through Niki's and asked her, "Should we shower and have a change of clothing before we head out for dinner?"
Niki thought a moment before she gave him her answer. "We'll see, Sheldon. Right now, I think we should go up to our rooms first. Even if we don't shower, we do need to change our clothes. The hotel restaurant is rather fancy, and we are both dressed in pants and a t-shirt."
"Perhaps you're right, but I abhor putting on clean clothes without having taken a shower first."
His wife briefly closed her eyes, gave a soft sigh, and replied, "And I see your point in that. Let's just make it up to our room and then decide. I'm a little tired right now."
Sheldon's face immediately filled with concern and he draped one of his arms around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze, "Yes, I can see it in your eyes. You seem to be more exhausted with this pregnancy than you did when you were carrying Lori. Maybe ordering in and relaxing is the better option."
Niki planted a kiss on his cheek as she spoke, "We'll see, Cooper. Let's just get back to the hotel and talk about it there."
On their way out of the park, Niki put a hand on Sheldon's arm and exclaimed, "Look, there's a lovely little boutique I've been wanting to shop in for ages. Can you wait here for just a minute while I go inside and pick up some souvenirs for Penny, Amanda, and Bernie?"
Sheldon was quick with his reply, "Of course. I see the magic store across the street. For some reason, I feel compelled to pick up something for Wolowitz. Perhaps I can find something that would interest Leonard as well. Let's meet back at this spot in say, ten minutes?"
Niki nodded and grinned at her husband, "Deal. I'll see you then." With that, they both took off in opposite directions in a hurried manner with something besides shopping on their minds.
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Forty-five minutes later, when Sheldon inserted the key card into the slot in their room's door, they both quickly entered and instantly froze in their tracks. On the dining room table, they saw a candlelit dinner consisting of a large casserole dish, a loaf of pre-cut sourdough bread, and two large bottles of Yoohoo. They both then turned and looked towards the balcony and saw another table set up with an assortment of 'safe' salmon and shrimp sushi that Niki's doctor had okayed for her to eat. They both turned to each other and stared, the puzzle pieces slowly coming together in their minds.
"You arranged this while you were in the magic store, didn't you?"
"I must confess, I did. I thought a romantic dinner on the balcony would suit the mood. And you?"
Niki let out a protracted sigh as she confessed, "Yeah, I arranged to have your favorite meal waiting for us in our dining area. And yes, I arranged it while I was in that cute boutique."
Sheldon walked over to the table, lifted the lid on the casserole dish, and saw it was filled with spaghetti and sliced hot dog pieces. At the same time, Niki walked out to the balcony and admired the sushi set out under protective glass. The two of them looked over at the other and burst into laughter. Niki finally wiped her eyes and told her husband, "Why don't you bring all of that out here and we'll each enjoy our favorite meal together."
Sheldon picked up the casserole dish and headed for the balcony, telling his wife along the way, "That sounds like an excellent plan, Freckles. The events of this evening have clearly reminded me why I fell in love with you in the first place. You always have something fun and exciting up your sleeve."
Niki passed him as she headed back inside to get the bread and the Yoo Hoo, "I do believe I wasn't alone in planning a pleasant surprise for my spouse. You are just as capable of planning a surprise as I am. And I love it!"
After they had eaten, the happy couple headed for the shower and had a most enjoyable time getting themselves clean and refreshed, which led to other activities in the bed that led Niki to exclaim, "Cooper, this is one of the reasons I fell in love with you. That and the way you always challenge my brain. How did I get so lucky as to have you marry me?"
Sheldon pulled his wife close, kissed the top of her head, and whispered to her, "Ah, but I do believe I am the lucky one. I have an intelligent, beautiful, wife who always brings out the best in me. Well, most of the time she brings out the best in me. I love you Nikita Cooper."
Niki murmured a soft and sleepy, "And I love you, Sheldon Cooper. Forever and ever."
""Amen. As my mother would say."
With that, they began to laugh uncontrollabley and that eventually led them to showing each other exactly how much their relationship meant to them. The night ended with Niki laying in Sheldon's arms, contented as a cat with a pitcher of cream. "Cooper." She cooed softly.
Sheldon snuggled closer to his wife and murmured, "What is it?"
Niki kissed him softly on the lips and answered his question, "Happy birthday, love. I hope we spend many, many, more together."
"We shall. And they all will be spent in this room, where it all began."
With that, they both soon fell into a deep sleep, happy thoughts filling both their heads.
Well, our favorite couple have happily spent another of Sheldon's birthdays at Disneyland. But what about their friends? What has been going on with the other couples while the Coopers have been gone? You're about to find out.