1 year later

Howard and Raj were off to the university to look at some of the experiments Raj had been working on when Bernadette just came right out and asked. "Raj and Cara are sleeping together, aren't they?"

Penny looked up from the present she was wrapping and nodded. "Yes, they are. And I'm okay with it."

Bernadette frowned with confusion and placed a hand on Penny's arm. "You allow your husband to sleep around? Penny, that's not the woman I know."

Penny sighed and stood up to pour them some more coffee. After a moment she turned around and sat back down. "Bernadette, this is none of your business. But you're my friend and I love you dearly. I love Raj. He loves me. But we're not in love with each other. We never were. We married because of Chase. We knew what we were getting ourselves into from the very beginning. We spent long hours over four months time talking about it."

Penny sipped her coffee and organized her thoughts. "I promised myself that if he ever met someone he loved, truly loved, I would not stand in their way. He loves Cara. Cara loves him. They are meant for each other. When they finally realize that, I'll let him go. And I'll do it with a smile. Raj and I haven't actually slept together in a long time. In fact, I've been celibate since I got pregnant." She resumed wrapping the gift casually.

Bernadette was silent for a long moment. "Raj isn't Chase's father , is he?"

Penny looked her long time friend in the eye. "In every way but one, he is."

Bernadette tried hard to sound calm. "Neither is Leonard, is he?"

Penny shook her head. After a couple of seconds she stood up and placed the present on the counter. "B, I am trusting you with my deepest secret. You know what damage this could do. What happened, it wasn't planned. But I don't regret it either. It gave me my son. It gave me a life here. It gave Raj Cara." She turned back, tears in her eyes, to look at Bernadette. "But I need you to understand. The life we have? It works for us. We're happy. Happier than I have ever been before. Please don't wreck that for us."

Bernadette stood and gathered Penny in a hug. "I love you both. And Chase. I even like Cara. I wish things had been different. I wish you and Sheldon could have been happy together. I will keep your secret, Penny. You know that."

Penny nodded and relaxed into the embrace. It felt good to tell her friend. She just hoped she had made the right decision trusting Bernadette with this information.

Chase stumbled into the kitchen a moment later, rubbing his eyes. "Mommy! I not nap." He walked over and held out his arms to Bernadette and she picked him up with a smile and kiss to the cheek. "Wants ice cweam."

Penny chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Absolutely not, sweetie. How about mommy takes you and Bernadette to our special place?"

Chase grinned, showing off his four teeth. "S'getti!"

Penny grabbed her purse and his diaper bag. "You'll love it Bernadette. They have a calamari to die for!"

2 Weeks Later

Amy opened the door and ushered Howard and Bernadette inside. Leonard was already there with his latest girlfriend, a grad student named Karen. Sheldon suspected she was just looking for a good recommendation when she graduated. But since Leonard was just looking for a hot girl to show off, he figured they were evenly matched. He finished cleaning the mashed yams from Sabrina's face as Bernadette approached and picked her up.

"How's my little ladybug?" Bernadette asked happily.

Sabrina giggled and hugged the blond tight. "Bert! Wead me!"

Sheldon kissed his daughter's head and watched Bernadette carry her off to her bedroom for a story. He turned to Howard and nodded. "Welcome home. How was your trip?"

Howard grinned happily. "It was amazing. Rome is beautiful, the university where Raj works is state of the art. I'd kill to have some of the equipment they have. And the work Raj is doing is way out there. They are not just mapping out universes, but are actually working on finding a way to send people there, safely."

"How was Penny? And Raj? What is their son like?" Amy asked sending a hard look at Sheldon. Sheldon sighed and looked away from her. Lately Amy had been quite harsh and critical, and he had no idea why. He noticed the surprise on Howard's face and the slight smirk on Leonard's.

Howard took out his phone and pulled up some photos. Sheldon's heart thudded as Howard scrolled through the pictures. Penny looking radiant with a little blond boy on her lap. Penny, Bernadette and Chase playing with a mid size dog. Bernadette, Penny and a brunette on a porch swing. Howard and Raj in front of the Vatican (oh, the irony). Raj with Penny on his lap, his arms wrapped around her, as they dozed on the couch. Chase and the brunette from before eating ice cream cones. Sheldon struggled to keep the pain in his heart from showing as Howard scrolled through more pictures.

Bernadette reappeared and smiled widely. "We made it a third of the way through Goldilocks before she fell asleep." She settled onto the sofa with a sigh of relief. "Uggh. My body is sore. Thirteen hours on a plane, plus all the driving, and I need a good long soak in a tub."

Howard turned toward Amy. "They're doing good. Raj has no problem talking to women now, and like I said, the work the university is doing is phenomenal. Penny is only a few semesters away from graduation. She's already working at a local theatre, but with her degree and a good recommendation from her boss, Madam LaVit, she could land a job just about anywhere. Cara, that's their nanny, is a treasure! She can make these delicious pecan biscuits that melt in your mouth! And her brisket is almost as good as my Mom's!"

Howard sat down beside Bernadette and Sheldon and Amy sat in their spots, two armchairs across from the couch. Leonard and Karen sat on the loveseat. "As for Chase, that kid is a firecracker. He hardly ever sits still, and talks constantly."

Bernadette laughed. "He followed Howie everywhere. Even wanting to stay with us at the hotel so that he could be with 'Unca Owie' constantly."

Howard beamed happily. "What can I say? I'm good with kids. I have to admit, though, I don't know how Penny and Raj do it. Chase never slows down. He's smart, too. Maybe as smart as Sabrina."

Amy snorted. "Penny's son?" Everyone looked at her critically and she blushed slightly. "Not that Penny is stupid or anything, but she has only average intelligence."

"So did my parents," Sheldon said calmly. Amy shot him a glare and he looked away.

Bernadette and Howard exchanged a look before turning back to Sheldon. Bernadette smiled brightly. "So, I'm starving. Anyone else ready to order some pizza?"

Sheldon tucked the blanket around Sabrina carefully and placed a kiss on her forehead. He turned off the light and shut the door. He stepped into the bedroom and pulled his pajamas from the dresser. He could feel Amy's eyes on him but he kept quiet. For the last month and a half, all they seemed to do was argue. Everything he did was criticized. He watched too much "junk" on TV. He spent too much time with his friends. He fed Sabrina the wrong amount, or used the wrong bowl.

It was one criticism after another. He had tried on four separate occasions to discuss this with her, only to be rebuffed. His marriage was troubled and he was clueless on how to fix it.

"So, it would appear that Penny is doing very well," Amy said stiffly. "Marriage to Raj seems to have benefited her a great deal."

Sheldon looked over at her. "It seems Raj, too, has benefited. He has overcome his selective mutism."

"Yes. Good ol' Penny. Fixing everyone's problems, it seems," Amy laughed harshly.

Sheldon turned and looked at Amy cautiously. Her tone was not friendly. "It would appear that you are upset, Amy. May I ask why? I am getting the impression that you are upset with Penny over something."

Amy's expression grew furious. "Maybe I'm upset that she cured you of your distaste for coitus!"

Sheldon paled and his pulse skipped a beat. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

She sneered at him. "Your journals, husband dear. You should really put those away when you're done reminiscing."

He sat down heavily on his bed. "If you read them, then you know it was only once."

"On the eve of our wedding!" she yelled. Sheldon nodded, unable to offer an excuse. "How could you, Sheldon?" Amy's voice broke slightly. "How could she?"

Sheldon looked up at his wife and sighed. "Drop it, Amy. You do not want to talk about this. Forget it and move on. It was one time, never repeated. You are upset. I understand. But drop it."

"Drop it?" she yelled. She picked up her pillow and slapped him with it. "Did you say drop it?!"

Sheldon snatched the pillow from her and tossed it aside. "You aren't exactly innocent either, my dear wife," he growled.

"What?"

Anger blazed to life in his blue eyes and Amy shrank a little at the intensity.

"You took advantage of me when I was inebriated. Strike one." He stood and pulled his blanket from the bed.

"You have slept with Leonard an at least 7 occasions in the last three months. Strike two." He picked up his hypoallergenic pillow.

"You…you know about…me and Leonard?" Amy stammered.

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "I am a genius, Amy. I can put two and two together. You claim to be working late, yet come home smelling of Leonard's cologne. Leonard has your lip balm in his desk. You supposedly take Sabrina for a walk, but when you return, Sabrina has Leonard's Gimli figurine in her stroller. I find the idea of hickies distasteful but Leonard has a fondness for them. He thinks of them as his 'mark of conquest'. Next time, you might want to cover those up."

"You cheated first," she said tearfully.

Sheldon nodded. "Which is why I have never said anything. I know I am not as …affectionate as you would like me to be. To be honest, I find our 'endeavors' distasteful and unsanitary. I do not object to you finding your pleasure elsewhere." He picked up his robe and took his framed Nimoy napkin off the wall. "In fact, I would prefer that you continue to do so."

"Where are you going?" she demanded as he walked to the door.

"I believe I shall be more comfortable in the other bedroom from now on." He paused in the hallway. "Yes, I made love to Penny the night before our wedding. But I have been a faithful husband since we said our vows. I have done, and will continue to do the best I can for our daughter and our marriage." He looked at her teary face steadily. "I did warn you that you did not want to discuss this."

He walked into the spare room and began making the bed to his specifications. Tomorrow he would move the rest of his things. He sat down and smiled with relief. It felt good to get all of that out into the open. He was a bit worried about what would happen now, but for tonight, he felt at peace.