A/N Thank you to otahuhu7 and bamadude for their reviews. After the way I made everyone wait, they were especially welcome. I don't know if I can keep this pace up, but here is another chapter.

I still am just borrowing these characters.

"Hello, Leonard. Is Penny there? She should probably hear this."

"Yes, she's here."

Warren interrupted, "Is that Uncle Gerard?"

"Yes, Warren."

"I want to talk to him."

"Okay, but just for a minute. Then Penny and I are going to go in the kitchen and talk to him. You stay here and watch cartoons, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

Leonard turned back to the phone, "Warren wants to talk to you."

"Hi, Uncle Gerard."

"Hi, Warren. How are you?"

"We're coming to see you and Grandpa and Grandma. Auntie Penny is going to be my new Mommy."

Gerard somehow managed not to react, "That's great, Warren. I can't wait to see you." He paused, "Can I speak to your Daddy now?"

"Okay. See you later. Love you."

"I love you, too. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Leonard and Penny moved into the kitchen. Leonard laid down the phone, "I am going to put you on speaker."

Penny spoke up, "Hi, Gerard."

"Hello, Penny." He paused, "I see you talked to Warren about you and Leonard."

Leonard looked at Penny, "We felt he needed to know before we met with you guys. We wanted to know how he would feel about us."

Gerard sighed, "He seems to be acceptable to the idea."

Leonard answered, "Yes." He hesitated, "He told Penny he loved her."

There was a long silence. Finally, Leonard took the plunge, "So, how did it go with Pierre and Marie?"

Gerard ran his fingers through his hair, "Think Titanic."

Leonard and Penny looked at each other. Leonard finally managed to get out, "That bad?"

"Yes." Girard hesitated and took a deep breath, "I might as well give you the worst up front."

He paused, "They said that it was apparent you didn't love Monique as much as they thought."

Penny put her hand up to her mouth. Her heart almost broke when she saw the look on Leonard's face. She reached out for his hand and for a horrible moment thought he wasn't going to take it. But then he took her hand and squeezed, managing a small sad smile.

He finally got out, "What else did they say?"

"They said you were blackmailing them by forcing them to accept meeting Penny in order to see their grandchild."

There was another long period of silence as Penny moved over and put her arms around Leonard who hugged her back.

Penny knew she should offer again not to go but realized she was even more determined to go. She found herself getting angry at what they had said.

Leonard finally broke the silence, "How about you, Gerard? Do you agree with them?"

"When they said that, I was stunned. Then I remembered the night we talked after they had gone to bed. The night you told me how much you loved Monique, how she was a part of you."

"I believed you then and I still believe it." He sighed, "I told them they were wrong. That if Monique could hear them she would be very disappointed in them. That she loved you and that you loved her."

Leonard and Penny were shocked. Leonard managed to ask, "What happened then?"

"As you can imagine, it got pretty awkward. Finally, they told me I could believe what I wanted but they still felt they were right."

"I asked them what they were going to do. I told them I was sure you would not back down. That you and Penny were coming to Paris. That they would have a decision to make."

"They said I should probably leave. That they were disappointed I was taking your side."

"Then Pierre surprised me by saying, "You can tell Leonard he has won. We would never give up our chance to see Warren, that we will be civil for his sake." Then he hesitated and said, "But you can also tell him we will never accept that woman into our family."

Penny felt herself tearing up. She knew how this must be hurting Leonard. For a moment she blamed herself. She was again responsible for him getting hurt, for coming between him and Monique's parents. She knew how much he loved them. No, she loved Leonard and Warren, she knew she could make them happy; she should be with them.

Gerard again broke the silence, "I am sorry I am the one to tell you this." He sighed, "I would understand if you didn't want to see them. But I also know you would never want to come between them and Warren. I wish I had better news but I do want you to know I support you."

He hesitated, "And Penny, I am looking forward to meeting you. I am ashamed for how my parents reacted."

Penny fought the tears, "Thank you, Gerard, that means a lot to me. I would be lying if I didn't say I am hurt and sad that they feel that way. I just have to hope that after they meet me and see me with Leonard and Warren, they might fell at least a little differently."

"Maybe. One can only hope."

There was another hesitation, "I was wondering, would you mind if I talked to Claudette about you coming? I know she understands how much you loved Monique. I think she would like to know that you are going to be in Paris."

Leonard surprised him by saying, "I think that is a great idea. Actually, Claudette has met Penny. They spent some time together when Claudette came to California."

Gerard was taken aback, "I didn't know that. I definitely will talk to her."

He took a deep breath, "Again, I am sorry I brought such bad news. I do look forward to seeing you both." After a long pause, "I will keep hoping that Mom and Dad were just reacting to the news. I need to keep thinking they will come around."

Leonard smiled, "I want to believe that too. I do love them and I want them to be in our lives."

He went on, "Well, we will let you go now. We will see you in a couple of weeks."

"Goodbye, Leonard. Nice to talk to you again, Penny."

Penny spoke up, "Goodbye, Gerard."

After they hung up, Penny moved over and gave Leonard a hug which he returned. She pulled her head back, "I am so sorry about all this."

She moved away, "I really was looking forward to meeting them. I know how much you love them. I can't help but think…"

Leonard looked at her, "Don't. Don't ever think that. I love you. I loved Monique and she will always be a part of me, but you make me happy. I know she would never want me to give that up."

"When they see how we are together, how Warren feels about you, how we are a family, I really believe they will come to accept you."

He moved over and gave her a soft kiss, "I love you, Penny. Warren loves you. That is what is important."

Penny felt herself tearing up, "Oh, God, I love you so much. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

The moved together and exchanged a passionate kiss. They then stood and holding hands, returned to the living room.

Gerard looked up and saw Claudette entering the restaurant. God, she really was beautiful. For a moment he had a feeling of regret that they had not worked out, but then it was gone.

He stood up as she came up to the table. She smiled and sat down as he did.

"Well, Gerard, you are as handsome and dashing as ever."

Gerard smiled, "And you are still ravishingly beautiful."

Claudette smirked, "Okay, we got that BS out of the way, why did you suddenly want to see me?"

"Could we at least order a drink first?"

"I think I will have a glass of Champagne. It is quite an occasion when I see you."

Gerard smiled and got the attention of a waiter, "Two glasses of Champagne."

After the drinks came, they each took a sip. Claudette then sat back, "Okay, what the Hell is going on?"

"Leonard and Warren are coming to Paris in a couple of weeks and Penny is coming with them."

Claudette raised her eyebrows, "I see."

She took another sip, "What do you think about that?"

"You don't seem surprised."

"I met Penny while I was in California. They told me how they felt about each other. Apparently, it has gotten very serious."

"What did you think of Penny?"

"At first I was shocked that Leonard would consider being with her after what she did to him." She smirked, "I told her I thought she was a lot like me. You know, unwilling to commit."

"But I was surprised to find that I believed they did have strong feelings for each other." She paused, "I guess I want to believe she can be good for Leonard. I know Monique would want him to find someone and be happy."

She went on, "You never answered my question."

Gerard took a large drink, "I was of course shocked at first, but I am surprised to find I feel much like you do."

"Do Pierre and Marie know?"

Gerard finished his glass, "Yes. They did not take the news very well." He paused, "They basically said that they were doubting that Leonard loved Monique as much as they thought and that Penny would never be accepted as part of the family."

Claudette was stunned. She managed to recover as she finished off her glass. "I am shocked they feel that way. I cannot believe they would ever doubt how much Monique and Leonard loved each other."

"I know. I do hope they were just so shocked by the news, they reacted as they did and will feel differently after they have time to think it over."

"I think that could be possible. I hope you're right."

Then she sat back. Reaching a decision, she leaned forward, "Did Leonard ever tell you how I came to meet Penny?"

"He just said you met her when you were in California."

"Actually, she caught me naked with Leonard in his apartment."

Claudette smiled as she saw Gerard's eyes widen, "You and Leonard?"

"Oh, God, no. I was the only one naked. I was trying to seduce him but he was having none of it."

"He had to tend to Warren so I took it upon myself to reassure Penny that nothing was happening."

Gerard was stunned to find he was feeling jealous. He also could not get the image of a naked Claudette out of his mind.

He was even more stunned when Claudette continued, "Ever since then, I have realized that they are in a way like you and me. Like Penny, I couldn't commit myself to you." She said quietly, "Like Penny for Leonard, I still have feelings for you."

She looked in his eyes, "Like Penny, I regret hurting you."

Gerard fought to understand what she was saying, he finally struggled to say, "What exactly are you saying, Claudette?"

"I find I am wondering if it could be possible we could have a second chance. I know I have never given you any reason to trust me, but when you called me today, I realized I want us to see if there is anything worth salvaging."

"I just don't know…"

She smiled and put her fingers over his mouth, "Shh. I know this is a shock. Just tell me you'll think about it."

She got up, "I really need to go. Tell Leonard and Penny I would like to see them when they are in Paris."

She leaned over and kissed him softly on the mouth. She then turned and walked away, leaving Gerard staring after her.

Two days before Amy was scheduled to return home, Bernadette called everyone to see if they wanted to get together at Sheldon's apartment like old times. She was thrilled when everyone agreed to meet.

After Amy hung up, she wondered if she should have asked Bernadette if she could bring Elizabeth Plimpton. But she realized she really didn't want her there. Mainly because it was to be like old times but also because she didn't know how matters stood between her and Raj.

When Bernadette told Penny and Leonard that Howard's mother was babysitting Halley and Michael and suggested they leave Warren with her as well, they happily agreed, knowing how much Warren enjoyed spending time with them.

Everyone had to smile when everyone found their old places. Sheldon in his spot, Amy, Bernadette, and Howard next to him, Leonard and Penny in their chairs and Raj on the floor.

It was a little awkward at first but they got started by talking about what was going on with the Nobel Prize.

That led to talking about Amy returning to Caltech. The others were stunned to when Sheldon and Amy revealed that Amy was planning to stay in Leonard's old room.

Seeing the look on their faces, Sheldon quickly said, "Now don't get too excited, we are just going to try it out while she looks for an apartment."

Penny had to smile at herself when she looked at Amy. It was obvious she was not going to look very strenuously for somewhere to move to.

Bernadette turned to Penny, "Have you guys set a date yet to leave for Paris?"

Leonard answered, "Not yet. Am planning to call the airport tomorrow. Looking at two weeks from tomorrow."

Then Amy asked the question they did not want to hear, "Did you hear back from Gerard yet?"

Leonard looked at Penny who just shrugged. Leonard turned to the others, "We did." He hesitated for a few moments, "His talk to Pierre and Marie was not the best. I would like us to just leave it like that."

The others were surprised and a little hurt that Penny and Leonard didn't want to share what happened with them, but decided to respect their wishes.

After an awkward silence, they all had to smile when Sheldon began to talk about one of his obscure facts. Suddenly, it really was like old times. And when he started to make some comments about Engineers, it was like time had stood still.

After they broke up, Amy and Sheldon were left alone in the apartment. She smiled at him, "It was wonderful to have everyone over again."

"Yes, I admit I wasn't too sure about how it would go; I do think it went well."

"I was a little surprised that Leonard and Penny didn't want to share what Gerard had to say."

"Yes, that was a little strange. Since neither of us went to Paris, we only know from Bernadette what happened there. It seems that it may have been worse that I had assumed."

"I just hope it works out."

Sheldon nodded and then leaned over and kissed her softly. She returned the kiss and said, "Sheldon, is it all right if a stay a while?"

Sheldon stunned her when he said, "Why don't you just stay the night?"

She smiled happily and they engaged in a passionate kiss.

After Leonard and Penny had picked up Warren and got him settled in for the night, they sat on the sofa and cuddled up to each other.

Penny had been thinking about something ever since she heard they were going to New York. With all that was involved there and in Paris she had kept an idea she had to herself. But know she realized it was something she wanted to do.

Gathering her courage, "Leonard, there is something I have wanted to talk to you about."

Moving slightly away from her, he looked quizzically at her, "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, "When we are in New York, I would like to visit your family." Seeing the look on his face, she hurried on, "I think we should tell Beverly about us and I have never even met your brother and sister."

Leonard struggled to grasp what she was proposing. He supposed he could see where she was coming from. And he had to admit, it had been some time before Beverly and the others had seen Warren.

He had to smile to himself. When he had introduced Monique to them, it had been one of the rare times they had supported his choice. After all, Monique was intelligent, a professor, and French.

It was one of the times he realized why he loved her so much. When they got back to their room, she had turned to him, "Leonard, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"How did you avoid having the Hofstadter stick stuck up your ass?"

But even as he smiled, he wondered. Was he ashamed of Penny? No, he just didn't want her to have to deal with them. But then he had to admit, wasn't that about the same thing?

He turned to a waiting Penny, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Penny looked at him, "Don't you want me to meet them?"

Leonard sighed, "I don't want to meet them."

Then he realized how he sounded, "But you're right, you should at least meet them. And it has been a long time since they have seen Warren."

He reached out and took her hands, "Why don't we leave a day earlier so we will be able to spend some time with them? I'll call them tomorrow before I call the airline."

Penny smiled, "Thank you, Leonard. I know you are not looking forward to seeing them."

"That's true, but I am looking forward to them meeting you. I want them to see the woman I love."

Penny snuggled up to him, "Speaking of love…"

The next day Leonard followed through on the calls and was pleasantly surprised when they all agreed to meet with them. He then called the airline and got everything arranged.

They were sitting on the couch after putting Warren down for his nap when Penny decided there was something else she wanted to do.

"Leonard, when we get back from Paris, do you think we could take a trip to Nebraska?"

Leonard was a little surprised, but then smiled, "That is a great idea, I would love to see your dad again and meet the rest of your family."

Penny smiled back, "And I can't wait for them to meet Warren."

After Amy spent the night with Sheldon, she returned to her hotel room. She got a bottle of wine from the bar in the room and sat down on the bed. She marveled at how her life had changed. She had never been so happy. While she sat there, she realized there was still someone she had not faced. When she had broken up with Sheldon, she had called her mother, hoping that maybe, for once, she would be understanding. Of course, that had been wishful thinking. Her mother was the same, blaming her for all that happened.

She wondered why she had never talked to JoAnn about her relations with her mother. She just didn't want to think about her. It had been difficult enough to deal with everything else. But now she was surprised to find, with everything fitting into place, she wanted to talk to her.

Taking a deep breath and finishing off a second glass of wine, she picked up her phone. After dialing and having her answer, she sighed, "Hi, Mom, it's me, Amy."

Everyone was at the airport to see Amy off. They all pretended not to notice that Raj and Elizabeth studiously avoided each other.

Everyone did smile when Amy and Sheldon exchanged a long kiss.