Sheldon couldn't help glancing at Penny from the corner of his eye. She was smiling and laughing with their parents as if she didn't have a care in the world. He wasn't sure if he should be hurt or angry. She treated him like an ordinary friend, with no hint whatsoever that just 10 hours ago he had been buried deep inside her, her lips moaning his name. Penny stood and excused herself to go to the bathroom. After a few minutes he made the same excuse and walked toward the restrooms. He waited against the wall until the women's room door opened and Penny stepped outside.
She looked startled when he grabbed her arm before she could slip past him. He pulled her into the men's room and opened his mouth to speak. Which was quite difficult with Penny's tongue suddenly slipping alongside his. Sheldon groaned and pressed her against the door. How did she do this? The moment she touched him, passion flared white hot between them.
After a moment Penny pulled back and struggled to even out her breathing. "Sorry," she whispered. "I've been wanting to do that ever since we sat down."
His eyes widened. "You have? But you seemed completely indifferent to me at the table."
Penny smoothed his hair back into place and sighed. "Shel, do you really want our parents to know we are sleeping together?"
He shook his head and wiped away her smeared lipstick. "No. Not yet."
Penny nodded knowingly. "Exactly."
Sheldon took a deep breath. "We need to talk, Penny."
She nodded. "I know. But can't it wait until Dad and Momma Mary go home?"
He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. "Alright." His expression turned stern. "But we are definitely talking then!"
Penny nodded and hugged him loosely. "I promise." They made their way back out to the table and joined their parents just as the waiter brought their meals.
Penny looked up from the kitchen counter where she was watching Mary roll out a pie crust as Wyatt opened the door for whoever was knocking. Leonard stood on the other side with a wide smile.
Leonard held out his hand to Wyatt. "Hello. I'm Leonard Hofstadter. I live on the 5th floor. How are you? I am a friend of Penny's."
Wyatt stepped back and invited him in, making Penny groan under her breath. Mary shot her a curious look but Penny turned away to grab the bowl of berries. Wyatt shook Leonard's hand and motioned him over to the couch.
"Hello, Leonard. It's about time we met some of Penny's friends. The only ones she ever let me get to know were Sheldon and Charlie," Wyatt said with a laugh.
"That's because they were the only ones I cared enough about," Penny muttered to herself. Mary grew thoughtful as she heard Penny's words. Sheldon wasn't the only one with super hearing.
Leonard looked over at Penny. He was certain that if he made a good impression on her dad, she would finally see him in a more romantic way. "Well, Penny is a great person," Leonard said. "and I'm lucky to know her."
Penny poured the berries into a pot and added the sugar and juice. She stirred it gently and cleared her throat. "So why are you home so early, Leonard? Sheldon usually doesn't get back until around 6."
Leonard blushed slightly and hurried to reassure the others he was no shirker. "The laser I am working with is down for maintenance, so there's nothing for me to do today."
Wyatt smiled and reached for the TV remote. "Well, then you can keep me company while Penny and Mary bake a few pies. They kicked me out of the kitchen an hour ago and told me to keep out of the way."
Mary grinned at him tenderly. "That's because you were stealing blueberries, dear."
Wyatt looked unrepentant, and turned to ESPN. "You like football, Leonard?"
Leonard hid a grimace and nodded. "Sure. Sounds great!"
Mary heard Penny sigh with annoyance and mutter too low for her to hear. Obviously Penny was not too fond of this young man. She couldn't help but wonder why. Maybe she would ask Shelly. He never could hide anything from her.
The first thing Mary noticed when Sheldon got back from work, was that he was definitely not happy to see Leonard sitting on the couch in Penny's apartment. Next she noticed the way his eyes were continuously drawn to Penny. The way Penny seemed unable to stop glancing at Sheldon. It didn't take Mary long to figure out what was happening.
Whatever feelings Sheldon and Penny had discovered all those years ago were still there, still very much alive. Mary wanted to jump up and shout "Hallelujah!" Maybe she would once she was back in her hotel room. And then she would hit her knees and pray to the good Lord that they found a way to make it work this time.
Mary called Sheldon into the kitchen before he could settle in the arm chair. "Come give me and Penny a hand," she said with a smile. Leonard looked over quickly and jumped up.
"Is there anything I can do?" he asked before Sheldon could respond.
Sheldon swept past Leonard and moved behind the counter. "No need, Leonard. I know where everything is."
Mary watched carefully as Sheldon moved around Penny to pull down plates. She hid her grin as Penny briefly leaned back against her son. She had to bite her tongue as Sheldon's hand brushed over Penny's hip. Suddenly Mary was hit by the realization that not only did her son and Penny still care about each other, but they had acted on those feelings.
On one hand, she was worried that they were sinning. On the other hand, she had given up years ago that Shelly would ever have a real relationship. Mary focused on serving up the roast she and Penny had made, and decided to just be glad that he had Penny back in his life. These last five years he had sort of drifted through life, focusing only on his work. He had shut everyone out in defense. Maybe now he could become the man he was always destined to be.
Wyatt loved his daughter more than just about anything or anyone in the world. He loved Sheldon like a true son. He had seen the way they left the table almost at the same time this morning. He had noticed the slight smear of lipstick on the corner of Sheldon's mouth when they returned. He had almost snatched his little girl up in a hug with joy. For five years he had watched her close herself off from everyone except Charlie. For a brief time, he had hoped Charlie would be the one to bring his little girl back to life, but it never happened. Only Sheldon had ever been able to break down every wall she ever built. He just hoped that this time, they found a way to make it work.
He watched the short young man beside him on the couch glare at Sheldon whenever he thought no one was looking. This one had a chip on his shoulder, Wyatt realized. Leonard was interested in his daughter and he was not happy about the closeness between Sheldon and Penny. This was a potentially explosive situation. He could only hope that whatever relationship had built up between these two was strong enough to withstand whatever Leonard would throw at them.
He took Penny's hand in his left one and Mary's in his right. Mary asked Leonard to lead the dinner prayer and then they settled in for the meal. When it was over, Wyatt and Mary said their goodnights and reminded Sheldon that they were going to tour Cal-tech the next day.
Sheldon helped Penny put away the dishes, watching Leonard from his peripheral vision. He had hoped Leonard would leave when their parents had, but he seemed content to wait them out. Finally they could put it off no longer. It was time to either leave or admit to Leonard that he had intended to spend the night.
Sheldon gave Penny a hug, sneaking a soft kiss under her ear before heading toward the door. "Goodnight, Penny. Thank you for the delicious meal."
Leonard hurried forward and hugged Penny. He held the hug longer than Sheldon liked, but he was pleased to see Penny disengage herself from Leonard firmly. Sheldon knew his jealousy was unfounded, but he couldn't help wanting to tear Leonard from her and shove him out the door. He caught Penny's eyes over Leonard's head and saw she knew how he felt. She walked over and opened the door. They walked out into the hall and headed to the stairs. Penny's soft "goodnight" was barely audible.
Sheldon paced Penny's bathroom furiously. Leonard was becoming insufferable. Every time he turned around, Leonard was underfoot. He had not been able to exchange more than a dozen words in private with Penny for three days. In one hour he and Penny would be transporting their parents to the airport and Leonard had once again shown up and inserted himself into their plans. Once again he would have no chance to have that long overdue discussion with Penny because Leonard would be in the car. And he could see no way around taking Leonard without just bluntly telling him he was a hindrance. There was no way his mom would allow him to get away with such rudeness.
A soft knock interrupted his pacing. He opened the door to find his mom double checking her purse. She looked up with a smile. "Come on, Shelly. It's time to get going."
He sighed and nodded, offering his mom his elbow. They walked back into the living room where Wyatt was waiting by the door, Penny at his side. Leonard was smiling at Penny and telling her about a restaurant he thought she might like.
"Now, Shelly, I expect to hear from you more than twice a year. You call me regular, okay?" Mary chastised. Sheldon rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Don't worry, Momma Mary," Penny giggled. "If he doesn't call you, he won't get any more spaghetti dinners."
"That's not fair," Sheldon whined crossly. Wyatt shook his head and grinned. "Okay, people, let's get this show on the road. Those shrubs ain't gonna plant themselves."
Everyone headed into the hall but Mary stopped Leonard. "Dear, I appreciate that you want to accompany us, but well, not to be rude, I'd like just a family goodbye. You understand, right?"
Leonard thought fast but couldn't think of a good way to circumvent Mary's request. Finally his shoulders drooped a bit. "Oh, yeah. Sure, I understand." He watched enviously as Sheldon followed Penny down the stairwell. He knew they were just friends, but dammit, it wasn't fair! He was the one in love with her! Why did Sheldon always catch the breaks?