Chapter 51: While You Were Away…

Sorry it's been so long people. There was a big upheaval at my main place of employment, our manager was let go, and I was involved in the entire process. Hopefully, things have quieted down now, and I should be more regular with my updates.

Penny's got something up her sleeve. So do Amanda and Raj. And Sheldon and Niki. God help everyone.

It was a typical Saturday afternoon and two good friends who had recently been apart were sitting at a kitchen table, visiting and catching up on things, just like any other two women would do. There was a difference on this day though, one of them seemed somewhat agitated, as though she had something extremely heavy weighing on her mind. Penny Hofstadter sat across the dining room table from one of her oldest friends, Bernie Wolowitz, drumming her fingers. After more than a little while, she finally spoke up and announced in a voice that left no room for argument, "I don't care what you say, Bernie, we should do something special for Helmut and Annelise. They're both really cool people and they're moving halfway across the world to come here. I think we owe it to them to show them how much we appreciate them doing that."

The tiny blonde answered her in a resolute voice that belied her size, "I get where you're coming from, Penny, but dream on! I don't even know these people. Why should I help you plan a party for them? I'm exhausted. While Leonard and Sheldon were gone, and then you and Niki, my poor Howie was working some major hours, which left me with most of the childcare and housework. Look, the Coopers are having themselves a fun weekend at Disneyland. What are me and Howie doing? Well, I took an hour off from cleaning my house to meet you and Howie is watching Kelly and trying to get some work done at the same time. So where am I supposed to find the time to help you with this 'something special' you're planning? Girl, you're crazy if you think I'm lifting a finger to help you."

Penny refused to back down, "Look, you're going to help me because Helmut is an experienced researcher with mad science skills. I've already talked to Leonard and Sheldon and when Helmut and his lady get here and settled in, Pentagram is giving you and Howard a full week off to spend any way you want. Niki and Sheldon have even offered to have Kelly stay with them for the week. THAT is why you're going to help me give these people a warm welcome. It's in the best interests of both you and Howard."

Bernie thought on her friend's words for a minute then leaned forward excitedly as she asked, "Okay. What can I do to help?"

Penny grinned like the cat who had swallowed the canary and replied, "I thought you'd see it my way. Okay, here's the plan, we can have it here at your place. You guys have the biggest house, and a jacuzz!"

The smaller woman tartly reminded her friend, "Which neither you nor Niki can use. Have you forgotten you're both pregnant?"

"I haven't forgotten, Bernie. I was thinking about you.'

Bernie once again replied in a voice filled with distrust, as she waved her hands around the expanse of her home, "How's that? Is that jacuzzi going to help me cook and clean this place?"

Penny gently patted her friend's arm and responded softly and reassuringly, "No, Niki and I are. We can order some food in and we can even invite our husbands to come with us and clean the place for you. Deal?"

Bernie's grin was wide and genuine as she thought of how immaculate her house would look after Sheldon Cooper was done with it. She then happily answered her friend, "Okay, what day and time are we holding this thing?"

Penny pulled a small pad of lined paper from her purse, handed Bernie a pencil, and replied, "Let's figure that out right here and now. Let's see…how about two days before the Koothrappalis leave for Hawaii."

The tiny blonde woman squealed her approval, "Perfect! I just bought a dress I was going to wear to an office get together to make a certain 'witch with a capital B' feel inadequate. Sadly, or happily, this person up and quit without giving notice. So, I have a dress I'm dying to wear!"

Though she really wasn't sure she wanted to know, Penny felt compelled to ask, "Why did she quit?"

Bernie gave her friend a withering look that Penny respond with, "Oh. Remind me to never get on your bad side, okay?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. You never have, or almost never. Besides, our husbands all work together, so I have to play nice with you."

Penny stared at her friend open-mouthed before she managed to croak, "What…?"

Bernie merely smiled sweetly and continued with, "Now, forget that. We've got a party to plan."

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Meanwhile, at another house in Altadena, a similar conversation was taking place.

Raj Koothrappali shifted uneasily in his seat at the dining room table and addressed his wife, Amanda. "You know, the only reason Sheldon is being so agreeable to letting me take this sabbatical is because of Dr. Hoffman being willing to step in and cover for me."

The lovely brunette nodded and agreed with her husband, "Yeah, that makes complete sense, so what about it?"

Raj got a serious, yet sincere, look on his face as he answered her question, "From what Niki has told me, this guy and his fiancé are putting their current lives on hold to travel all the way from Germany to here, just to work for Sheldon Cooper. I think we owe them a debt of gratitude."

Amanda nodded and took a sip of her coffee, "I see what you mean. But I'm thinking gratitude isn't enough." She thought deeply for a few moments and then her face lit up, "I know, let's throw them a killer welcoming party before we leave! We could either throw it here, in the back yard, or over at the Cooper's place."

Her husband's face began to beam as he enthusiastically took his wife's idea and ran with it, "Since we're the ones who are throwing the party, let's have it here. Our place is as good as Sheldon and Niki's. We have a pool, too. And our barbecue area is covered by an awesome patio, which isn't the case at the Cooper's. Our house is bigger than theirs, too. Yes! Let's do it here!"

Amanda began to come back down to earth and voiced some practical concerns regarding the endeavor, "But Raj, we don't know what they like to eat, or what kind of music these people like. How on earth are we going to plan a party for them?"

Raj leaned forward eagerly as he addressed her concerns, "That's easy. I'll just innocently ask Leonard some casual questions about both of them and we can go from there. I do have the right to ask some questions about the man who will be continuing my research."

Amanda gave him a happy grin as she put down her cup and replied, "That's a good idea, honey. I'll ask Niki some things about them, myself. She knows how curious I can be. She won't suspect a thing."

"Great! We only have a week until we leave, so let's get going with this! I can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when they show up at our place for what they think is a simple Halo night and find out what we've really got going."

Amanda got up from the table and headed for the kitchen to retrieve the decadent dessert Raj and conjured up for them earlier that day, "Yeah, that will be a big surprise for everyone. I can't wait!" She stopped on her way back to the table to address the small dog that was looking up at her adoringly, "Yes, Cinnamon, a party! A couple more people for you to put under your spell."

Raj laughed at his wife's words and agreed with her, "Yes, everyone loves Cinnamon. Even Bernie, though she won't admit it in this lifetime. I think she'll be thrilled to have the party thrown here, instead of at her and Howard's place. They get stuck with a lot of our get togethers."

Amanda gave a wicked grin as she warned him, "Remember, no one can know about this thing but us and our caterers. I want this party to be a complete surprise for everyone!"

"Don't worry, I won't breathe a word to anyone. I want them all to be unsuspecting when they walk in!"

With that, the mischievous couple at the table began to earnestly plan their amazing surprise party.

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Back in Anaheim, Sheldon and Niki are making some plans of their own. Let's listen in.

Sheldon leaned in towards his wife as they sat in The Blue Bayou restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride enclosure. "Niki, this restaurant is the perfect way to spend our last evening here. The ambiance, with the ride floating by us, is unmatchable with anything I have ever experienced."

Niki Cooper shot a dreamy look back at her husband as she replied, "I thought you'd like it. That's why I made the reservations here." She then looked around the dining area and added, "It's very romantically lit, too."

Sheldon gave his wife a fond look as he replied, "You know I'm not much of a Romeo, Freckles, but I do have to agree with your summation. The atmosphere in this restaurant seems to be geared to be extremely conductive to romance."

Niki's grin was both mischievous and naughty as she suggested, "What say we leave soon and indulge in a little romance back at our hotel?"

Sheldon nodded, looked down at his phone, and then continued, "I am excited to implement that plan, but there is something important I wish to discuss with you first."

"Which would be?"

Sheldon's eyes went soft at his thoughts, and then he answered Niki with, "It's about Helmut and Annelise."

Niki cocked and eyebrow and asked her husband, "What about them? We've already planned to pick them up from the airport and take them to my old apartment. What else do you have in mind? We can show them the way around the building before Helmut begins working, so that won't be a problem."

Sheldon exhaled softly and touched his wife lightly on her arm, "Niki, it has crossed my mind that we owe that couple a great debt of gratitude. I would never have told Koothrappali he couldn't go to Mauna Kea with Amanda, that wouldn't have been kind. But without Helmut filling in for him, it would have been difficult to continue our research on the necessary level. At the very least, it would have slowed it down considerably. At the worst, we might have missed some vital piece of information that could have derailed our findings completely."

Niki nodded solemnly, then looked at Sheldon with a quizzical expression, "Hmmm…I have to agree with you. But what are we going to do? We've already thanked them profusely for taking us up on our offer and found them a place to live. What else is there left for us to do?"

Sheldon's entire demeanor changed to conspiratorial as pulled his wife closer and softly replied, "I was thinking, before Raj and Amanda leave, we should throw a little dinner party and let Koothrappali meet the man who will be covering for him. Raj may very well be able to explain enough about what he's been doing so that Helmut can pick up on that area of research seamlessly."

Sheldon's dinner partner thought deeply for a moment then concurred with him, "You do have a point, Cooper. Okay, I'm in. Where and when will we do this thing?"

At her words, Sheldon grinned happily and told her, "I was thinking at our home, a couple of days before the Koothrappalis leave for Hawaii."

Niki looked her husband worriedly, "Okay, but that's only a little less than a week away. I'm getting past the morning sickness stage now, but I'm still a bit tired and I worry about having to cook, clean the house, and arrange an entire evening. I don't know if I can do all of that."

Sheldon pointed proudly to himself and informed her, "This is where I can help. Niki, I will help you clean the house. In fact, I enjoy doing that so leave any preparing our home for guests to me. You can handle the guest list. Maybe we could invite the Hofstadters, Wolowitzes, and your mother and Richard in addition to Helmut and Annelise."

His wife's entire countenance brightened, and she excitedly agreed with her husband, "That's a great idea! I'd love for them to meet all the kids, too. So, for the first part of the evening, we could have Lori, Blake, and Kelly join us."

Sheldon's grinned broadly at the mention of Kelly Wolowitz, "Yes! It has been far too long since either of us has seen Kelly."

Niki leaned into her spouse and kissed his cheek, "I know you have a soft spot for her, Schatze, so we'll be very sure to invite Kelly along with her parents."

The look Sheldon shot her was challenging, "I have a soft spot? You know you are every bit as fond of her as I am."

Niki sheepishly smiled and nodded, "True, true. That girl has taken her place in my affections. She's a smart, funny, engaging little girl."

Sheldon looked up from his dessert and shared a suggestion with her, "You know, we should take Kelly and Lori to the zoo with us in the near future. I would enjoy that."

"So would they. But what about Blake?"

Sheldon's answer was carefully worded and thought out, "I don't think he enjoys the zoo as much as the girls, so why don't we give the Hofstadters a break from parenting one evening and take Blake with us to the Griffith Observatory? "

Niki's response lit up her face, "I like that idea! Lori adores it there and I think Blake is going to follow in his father's footsteps and become an experimental physicist. The Observatory is one of his favorite places!"

"Or a theoretical physicist like his Uncle Sheldon."

At that, Niki threw her head back and laughed loudly, causing other diners in the room to stare over at her, "Could be, could be. But he may end up doing something completely unrelated to science."

"Woman! Hush your mouth! What you just uttered is tantamount to heresy. Would you have my best friend's son become something completely inane, like a poet or an actor? Or, perish the thought, a geologist?"

"Better not let Penny or Bert hear you say that."

Sheldon face wore a look of admitted chagrin as he admitted to Niki, "Oh, I completely forgot about Penny. She is far from inane. And Bert has been a good friend to me in the past. Perhaps it is best that we let Leonard worry about what path his son will choose in life."

Niki nodded in complete agreement, "Agreed. Now, let's get back to planning our little dinner party for Helmut and his lady."

With that, Sheldon and Niki put their heads together and drew up their plans for a welcoming dinner party for their friends from Germany. Suddenly, Niki's head drew back, and she let out an astonished gasp, "Sheldon! We won't have a dinner party at our place for Helmut and Annelise. We can't!"

Niki's husband stared back at her incredulously, "Why ever not? Woman, have you gone mad? We were just sitting together finalizing our dinner menu and guest list. What is this all about?"

Niki's hands waved around the restaurant, "It's about this! Sheldon, all our friends are busy right now, Penny with her play that opens in a couple of weeks, Leonard playing catch up with his research and supporting his wife, the Koothrappalis getting ready to go to Hawaii, and Howard and Bernie getting ready for their vacation. It would throw a huge kink into all of those plans if people had to pause their busy lives to attend a dinner party at our house."

Sheldon nodded slowly, carefully taking in all of her words, "I can see your point, but what can we do? We both want to do something special for Helmut and Anna." He caught a familiar look in his wife's eye and knew she was up to something. "Okay, Niki. Spill it. Just what did you ever-so-fertile mind conjure up as a proper welcome to our friends?"

Niki once again gestured around the room, "This, Sheldon!"

"What do you mean by 'this', Niki? Do you mean this restaurant, this room, or the entire ride? And what do any of those have to do with welcoming Helmut and Annelise to Los Angeles? Even I, with my keen intellect, am having trouble connecting the dots in your statement."

Sheldon's wife took a deep breath, exhaled, then began her explanation, "Okay, let me explain it to you, Schatze. What better way to welcome someone to Los Angeles than to give them a weekend at Disneyland! Look, we can extend our stay here, we do have two rooms booked until tomorrow. Or, we can call the desk and make reservations for the same two rooms for next weekend. We can bring our German friends here and take Anna and Helmut on our favorite rides, eat with them at our favorite restaurants, and just have a ball before we all have to put our noses back to the grindstone and continue on with our research. What do you think?"

Sheldon's eyes grew bright with delight and he answered his wife with a heartfelt, "I do believe I am married to a genius! Our other friends are most likely going to be far too busy to come to our house for a party. So… let's do it! Let's treat Anna and Helmut to a long weekend at the Happiest Place on Earth!"

Happy with her husband's agreeable response, Niki reached across the table and took Sheldon's hands in her own, "This is going to be so much fun! Nothing can go wrong with this plan, nothing!"

Nothing, except all your other friends have made plans for the visiting couple of their own. This could prove to be very interesting, or a complete disaster. No matter, it will be interesting either way.