Word Count: 1815
Disclaimer: I don't own The Big Bang Theory. I do own my OC, Maya Hofstadter.
Maya Hofstadter was used to not having her father. She was used to have to see her friends buy a gift for their father on father's day and getting home and pretend she was okay with it. She was used to be teased about not having a dad. Her friends used to protect her from things like that but it still hurt. Her father had died when she was still young. She knew he had loved her very much and she was one of the reasons why he fought what took him away from Maya. Her mom was heartbroken when it happened and barely spoke about it. Maya doesn't remember much only that her dad was sick and tired but whenever she was around he put on a brave face. She missed him and she knew her mom missed him too. Her mom always loved her dad very much and always regretted not being with him sooner.
It was on days like today that Maya missed him even more – her birthday. Since her dad didn't have birthday parties growing up, he always made sure she had birthday party and friends over. It was a happy moment and memories she loves. But on her 16th birthday all she wanted was to stay home, curled up in one of her dad's old sweatshirts she kept and watch old videos. She had her tissue box ready and popcorn made when Halley Wolowitz showed up.
"Come on M! You can't just stay here! Let's go to the mall! Come on. We'll get Luke and Charlie and maybe Rachel would want to go as well. What do you say?" Halley said, hopeful
"I'd say… Leave my room please!" Maya said not really hearing what Halley was saying. She loved her as a sister but she just wanted to be alone.
She knew her dad wouldn't want her to be like this. He always made sure that his girls weren't alone. Her mom stayed a lot of time with Bernadette – which made Maya be on that house so much and be such good friends with Halley – but Maya didn't always wanted company. She sometimes wished to be alone for a while but seemed like she was the only one. If her mom wasn't with her someone else was – usually Halley.
Everyone tells her that her dad used to be like that to. But it wasn't the only thing they had in common. Just like her dad, Maya was lactose intolerant and has asthma. She also was a bit of a geek – also because of her being around Howard, Raj, and Sheldon and also because of Bernadette and Amy. Her mom usually complained about the movies just like Bernadette and Amy did at first. But while her aunts stopped complaining her mom kept doing it. Her dad was the only one who actually knew her mom loved those kind of movies. He had told her he had once caught Penny reading a comic book – but she denied it.
She also gets car sick but unlike her dad she only gets sick if she's not behind the driver's seat. Her mom used to joke that she is a little version of her dad but when he died that joke stopped. Maybe that was why her mom was always at Bernadette and Howard's. She didn't want to be around her daughter because she reminded her of her husband.
When Halley finally left Maya started to think of what her dad would say. She then thought of her dad, when he was 16, without friends to be with. 'He would absolutely love to go out with friends'
"HALLEY!" Maya screamed. Halley ran to her room and looked to her best friend.
"What is it?"
"Call them. Let's go!"
"Really?" When Maya nodded she kept talking "Change clothes and meet me downstairs in 10!"
"Don't you think you need to talk to the others?"
"Nah… I have already talked to them yesterday" Laughing Halley goes wait downstairs leaving Maya changing her clothes.
When she was going to leave she looked to the picture hanging on the wall. Feeling the tears on the corner of her eyes she wants to leave but her legs don't move.
Halley heard her cry and goes to her room. Quietly, she opens the door and hugs her 'sister'. When she feels her stopping she lets her go. Looking at her she sees her red eyes looking at the picture. Smiling she asks
"Want me to cancel?"
"No. Don't. I'm fine. Let's go"
"No. Look at me. What's wrong with the picture?"
"That was taken on the last birthday with my dad." Maya's words hit Halley hard. Not knowing what to say she seats on the floor looking at the picture.
"That picture is 9 years old, Halley. But I still remember that day like it was yesterday."
Flashback
"Hey, Birthday Girl" Leonard tried to wake his sleeping daughter. Next to him, was his wife Penny smiling from ear to ear. They both were. On her hand there was a cupcake with a candle.
Moving her again, Leonard 'threats' her to call the tickle monster. Maya bites her lip and keeps pretending to be asleep.
"Well then. 1…2…3… That's it, girl!"
Her dad throws the covers to the ground and starts tickling his daughter. Laughter fills that room. It takes about 2 minutes until they all stop.
"Happy Birthday, Bu."
After the parents sing Happy Birthday, Maya blows the candle and sits on the bed eating the cupcake. They talk about small things, from how Maya used to be when she was younger to what the cake tasted like.
They get ready for the lunch they were having with the gang. Maya wanted to use her pink tutu and a pink shirt. Penny said no and, as always, Maya looked at her dad hoping he would let her.
"Sorry, butterfly but you have to listen to your mom."
"But it's my birthday today!" 7 year old Maya says
"Doesn't matter. Trust your mom. She says smart things, you know." Leonard kneels next to his daughter and whispers "Judging by her closet she also knows something about clothes." They both giggle and Maya gives her dad a kiss on the cheek.
"What was that for?""
"Nothing. I love you, daddy."
"I love you too Princess"
Penny looks to their interaction and smiles. Maya sees that and whispers her dad to put her on his shoulders. Doing what his daughter said she asks to get close to mom. When she reaches her destination she kisses her mom and tells her 'I love you to mommy'
For that she receives an 'I love you too, sweetie but you're not taking the tutu.'
After a puppy look – other thing she had in common with her dad, the ability to get almost everything she wanted with that look – and the promise to give a kiss for a whole month she still wore what her mom wanted her to.
They went to the restaurant and after everyone hugged her and wished her happy birthday they went to a park where Halley, Archie and Maya could run around.
Pause Flashback
"I remember that!" Halley says. Seeing the look on Maya's face "Sorry. Go on"
Continuing Flashback
"Hey kids, come sing Happy Birthday!" Bernadette yells. The three run to their family and after singing and eating the cake they ask if they can come back
"Sorry Maya, just sit with your parents for a minute." Raj asks
"Why?"
"I want a picture. Come on you look so pretty today."
"I always look pretty." After everyone smiled at her and nodding with their head in agreement "But okay. I'll do what you ask. But only because you asked nicely!"
Sitting in the middle of her parents she smiles at both and gives them her hand. Her parents look at her and smile. The trio looks to the camera when they hear Raj saying 'Say Cheese'
After a couple of photos Maya runs back to the swings with her cousins.
End of Flashback
"I loved that day." Maya says with the tears back in her eyes
"Me too." Halley says. She tries to hide the tears but she couldn't. She also missed her uncle. He was like a second dad to her. Always made sure she wasn't alone when Archie was born. Both of their dads were always together playing videogames with Sheldon and Raj, which made Halley learn things she really didn't think she needed to know about video games. She loved going to his lab when she was a kid. Sometimes when she goes there to see her dad she still wanders to his lab, still empty even after so many years because the principal felt like no one was good enough to be there. Everyone loved him and felt like something was missing when he left. Halley knew how hard his death was on her family. But when she was a kid she wasn't sure of how much she could miss him. That carried through her life. She knew there was always someone missing him more. Either his wife or daughter, so she always tried to help them both.
Everyone missed Leonard. He was always ready to help anyone and was the person everyone talked to whenever they needed to talk about something.
He was always ready to help. That's why when he died, a part of everyone died with him. Maya and Halley lost their innocence. Halley was like a daughter to Leonard. When her brother was born everyone paid attention to him. Leonard noticed that Halley was being forgotten so he took care of her. She loved to be with him. He was like a second father to Halley.
When Halley found out Leonard was going to be a father, she thought she was going to be forgotten, just like she was when Archie was born. Leonard sat her down and swore he was never going to forget about her. He kept that promise. When Maya was born, he always tried to be with the two of them. Halley helped her second dad take her of her cousin and she learned how to take care of a baby. Even though she was only three years old, she still learned things about babies she had no idea of. Like how much they cried and how that was annoying. But she took care of Maya like the Big Sister she was.
Leonard always said that Halley was Archie and Maya's big sister. And she loved them and took care of them. She protected them. Because you take care of family.
End of Chapter 1
I couldn't take this off my head, so I wrote it. I don't know what to write on my other stories. No idea when they are going to be updated.
This is not going to be a One-Shot. This will be a story where I'm going to show Maya's life when her dad was alive and she was happy and some parts of the stories will be in the 'present' where Maya is 16 years old and Leonard isn't alive. She's not happy and she misses her dad. I'll show how much his death impacted the gang. There can be chapters where I just talk about one character and others where I talk about the relationships between everyone. Past and Present will be shown and this fic will have a lot of sweet flashbacks to make sure this story isn't only sad.
Hope you enjoy it!