Thank you everyone for your reviews and encouragement. Let me just clarify, Amy really is pregnant, Sheldon really is the father, they really did get married, and this is not a dream fic. I'm sorry if that disappoints anyone, but it's the truth. And as a reminder, I don't bother reading reviews if you don't have a screen name. Anything labeled simply "guest" just gets deleted. And only Lunasea, Anon13 and Elizabeth's reviews ever get approved. I don't flame or leave anonymous reviews and I don't publish them either.

Sheldon took Amy to Paris for two weeks, like she wanted, for their honeymoon. When they returned, they moved into a small house near the university that his mom and Amy had found. Sheldon insisted on clinging to his old routine as much as possible. Howard, Raj and Leonard came over every Wednesday for Halo and pizza. On Friday Howard, Bernadette and Leonard would come over for Vintage video games and dinner. Raj said he had begun to skype with his parents on that night and Penny claimed work as an excuse. Amy usually went to have girl's night with Penny and Bernadette at the Wolowitz's apartment on Saturdays while he did laundry and watched a movie with the guys. The guys still went to play paintball every Sunday. However, all other days had changed. No more Thai food on Mondays. That was dinner with his mother-in-law night. No more Tuesday burgers, Penny was taking a class that night, so he and Amy usually ate alone. No more Anything Can Happen Thursdays, either. That was now child birth class night. All other Thursdays were date night.

(It would be three months before anyone noticed that Penny had never once been to Sheldon and Amy's house.)

10 weeks later

The moment Sheldon saw that tiny life on the ultrasound, he fell deeply in love. He could see her tiny hands moving and hear her heartbeat. He wished he could slip his own hand into hers as she flexed her fingers again. He was overwhelmed by emotion as he watched his daughter move. Amy was slightly disappointed at first. She had been certain that they would have a boy. So certain in fact, that she had already picked out a name. Galen Armand Fowler-Cooper. He hadn't rolled his eyes, but it was a near thing. It took him several days of silent treatments from Amy, arguments from his mother, and chastisements from his friends, but in the end, he was able to chose the name of their daughter. Sabrina Leigh Fowler-Cooper. He repeated it to himself often.

Once he saw and connected emotionally with his daughter, he took a much more active role in preparing for her. Sabrina was finally real to him, not just some abstract idea. He read everything he could find on parenting. He researched toys, schools, potty training, even manufacturers of baby clothes. He knew Amy saw his new-found interest in their child as proof he was coming to love her. He chose not to disabuse her of that notion. His daughter would have a stable, happy home, whatever the cost.

To that end, he forced himself to become more intimate with Amy. He absolutely refused to share a bed, but he did share a room. He began engaging in coitus with her every Sunday night between 9:00 and 9:35, always in her bed. Then he took a shower and went to sleep in his own bed.

He brought in a decorator and turned the bedroom across from theirs into a fairy tale world. All of the furniture, except for his Meemaw's rocking chair, was sturdy mahogany. The rocking chair was oak and the seat was worn smooth with years of use. He remembered sitting on his Meemaw's lap many evenings telling her his ideas as she encouraged him to talk. He placed the rocking chair in the optimum spot in the room. Between the window and the bookshelf, out of direct light, and close enough to the vent to be warm in the winter without getting too hot. Many evenings he would sit there, reading his parenting books. By immersing himself in every aspect of his daughter's development, he soon found himself experiencing moments of contentment in his domestic life.

Amy, regardless of the circumstances, was his wife and the mother of his child. So, he put aside his anger and focused on maintaining their marriage. Amy was beginning to show when Valentine's Day approached. She decided that instead of a nice romantic dinner, she wanted to host a dinner party with all their friends. He went along with it for two reasons. It sounded less intimate (and therefore less likely to make him uncomfortable) and it would be the first time he would see Penny since the reception.

Every invitation to Halo, or holiday dinner had been turned down. She usually worked, or had classes, she said. The only thing she didn't turn down was girl's night, although they now met at Bernadette's apartment, usually having coffee and watching rom-coms. When Amy mentioned this, he had asked why they didn't meet at Penny's anymore. Amy had shrugged and said Penny usually came straight from class, and it was a shorter drive to Bernadette's.

As the dinner got closer, Amy got more excited. She was hoping that Penny would bring her new boyfriend, a man none of them had met yet. Sheldon felt uneasy with this, but he concealed it well. It gnawed at him that he couldn't completely put aside the way he felt about Penny. He was a married man. These feelings were wrong, and not fair to Amy or his daughter. Yet nothing he did would rid him of the desire to see her again.

Leonard was the first to arrive, accompanied by Alex. Amy was displeased to find Sheldon's assistant was Leonard's date, but she grudgingly took Alex on a quick tour of the house, while Sheldon took Leonard's coat and offered him a drink.

"Is Penny here yet?" Leonard asked in faux disinterest.

Sheldon looked at his former roommate suspiciously. "Did you bring Alex just to make Penny jealous?"

Leonard looked defiant. "If Penny gets jealous, that's her problem. She broke up with me, not the other way around."

Sheldon quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yes, and why did she do that? Neither of you ever fully explained what happened."

Leonard blushed and looked away. "It was a misunderstanding. Penny and I belong together."

Before Sheldon could reply, the doorbell rang. He opened it to find that Penny and Raj had arrived. She walked inside just as Amy returned with Alex. Amy squealed slightly and rushed over to hug her bestie. Sheldon started to close the door, but Bernadette and Howard appeared on the walkway. They hurried in and all three women walked to the living room. He was stunned by the changes in Penny. She was almost too thin, and much paler than he had ever seen before. She had obviously quit tanning. No one else seemed surprised, and he realized that Penny had not been avoiding them. Just him.

She was wearing a pair of pinstripe slacks over a white dress shirt. Thin black suspenders and polished loafers tied the ensemble together. Her hair was pulled into a bun at the base of her head, and her make-up was subtle but striking, drawing attention to her eyes. She was stylish, and classy instead of party girl Penny. She put him in mind of the 1920's gangster movies. Sheldon studied her closely, noting the way Raj stayed close by Penny's side.

Amy grinned and sat down on the sofa. "So, I was hoping we would finally get to meet this mystery man you've been spending so much time with."

Sheldon felt his chest tighten as Penny looked at Raj who nodded slightly. No! He didn't want to hear this!

Raj took a seat on the loveseat and Penny turned to perch on the arm beside him. Raj placed an arm around her waist casually and smiled. "You already have," Penny said softly. "We figured tonight was as good of a time to tell you as any. Raj and I are seeing each other. We're a couple."

Everyone looked stunned except Howard. Obviously the engineer had, at the least, suspected this. More likely, Raj had just told him already, unable to hide anything from his best friend."

"What the hell?!" Leonard shouted. "You and Raj? Are you crazy?"

Raj stood and placed his body between Leonard and Penny. "No, we are not." Sheldon was amazed that Raj was speaking without anything to drink. Could he have imbibed before coming tonight? "This is none of your business, Leonard. Penny and I are both single adults who are free to date whomever we wish. Just as you are."

Penny stood and moved to stand beside Raj. She leaned into his side lightly. "So, Leonard, how are you and Alex doing? I don't really get much time to speak to her when she's at your place. Too busy running back and forth between school and work, I guess." Penny's expression was calm, and he couldn't detect even the slightest anger or jealousy in her tone.

Leonard was flushed with embarrassment and anger. Alex looked uncomfortable. Sheldon was mentally preparing himself for an explosive fight when Penny turned to Alex. "Raj tells me you're working on a new thesis. That sounds interesting. What's it about?" she asked tranquilly.

Alex blinked a couple of times and then started to slowly relax. She sat down in the armchair beside the love seat and cleared her throat. "Well, it's about the rate of atrophy in matter."

Penny sat down on the love seat and pulled Raj down beside her. "I probably won't understand a word of it, but I'll try to keep up," she said with a little self-depreciating smile.

Alex smiled tentatively and proceeded to explain the research she was doing. In just a few seconds, Penny had defused a volatile situation. Everyone started to relax, except Leonard. He stalked over to the other arm chair and glared at Raj and Penny for the rest of the evening.

"Well, dinner was certainly interesting," Amy said as she sat on the edge of her bed and brushed her hair. "I was surprised that Penny and Raj are together."

Sheldon nodded as he placed his clothes in the laundry hamper. "Leonard did not take it well."

"Raj said that he and Penny began dating two weeks after Penny broke up with Leonard. Apparently he has not been talking with his parents on Fridays, nor has Penny been working late those nights. It's their date night," she said with a frown. "That means they have been a couple for over 4 months. Why would Penny keep something like this from me? I am her best friend. Shouldn't this be the type of thing she confides in me?"

Sheldon sat down on the side of his own bed. If what Amy said was true, then Penny had been in a relationship with Raj that night on the roof. She had cheated on Raj with him. Anger flared up inside him. Had he been wrong about the type of person Penny was? Had he misread what that night meant to her?

"Sheldon?"

He looked up at Amy, carefully schooling his features into blandness.

Amy stood and removed her robe, revealing her naked body. "I know it is not Sunday, but it is Valentine's Day."

Sheldon nodded slightly and stood. He carefully removed his pajamas and folded them. He moved across the room and slipped into the bed beside Amy. She was his wife and he really did care about her. He firmly put Penny out of his mind and reached for Amy.

Raj shifted on the couch and lifted his arm. Penny laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed. "Well, that wasn't as bad as we feared," he said with a wry grin.

Penny sighed. "Not yet, but I suspect things are going to get harder."

Raj kissed her forehead softly. "Whatever happens, we're in it together."

Penny nodded and stood up. She reached for Raj's hand and he stood up, also. Raj turned out the lamp and they headed back to the bedroom. They slipped into bed and Raj drew Penny against his chest snugly.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Raj whispered softly.

Penny placed a tender kiss on his lips. "Happy Valentine's Day," she replied gently.