This chapter skips ahead just a few hours, to Leonard coming home from work. So basically, just to when Penny and Leonard tell Savannah and Ada that they've decided to get married.
I still only own Savannah and Nevada. Nothing else. Not even close.
Penny couldn't remember the last time a day with her children had dragged on so long, but finally, a half an hour after his day at Caltech ended, Leonard was standing in the doorway waiting for his daughter to run over to him.
"Savannah, why don't you take a seat on the couch next to your sister?" Penny asked after the girl had given her father her daily Welcome Home From Work Hug.
"Nevvy isn't sitting," Savannah said. "She's laying in her basket."
"I didn't say she was sitting," Penny said. "I said go sit by her."
"But she isn't sitting."
"Sit on the damn couch," Penny said through her teeth before she was able to catch herself.
Savannah gasped. "Mommy!" She looked over at her father. "Daddy!"
"I heard her," Leonard said, shaking his head. "Penny, what sort of example are we setting for the children?"
"Does she get time out?"
"No one gets time out," Penny said. "Sit on the couch, Savannah."
"Nevvy…" Savannah started, and then realized her mother had left that detail out. She pouted. "Fine."
"Leonard," Penny whispered worriedly, "Savannah thinks we're getting her a puppy."
"Why would she think that?" he asked, coming close to her to ensure that the one who could understand wouldn't hear.
"Long story," Penny said. "Leonard, she's not going to care. It's like we've said, a marriage is just a piece of paper. It's not like we'll start living together or sharing a bed or anything like that. Nothing is going to change for her."
"Penny, listen. This is just like…"
"A science reference that I'm not going to understand?"
He smiled. "Point taken. Let's just tell them, okay?"
She nodded, and he took her hand and led her over to the couch. The knelt down in front of it. "So we have something to tell you, Savannah," Leonard said, still holding Penny's right hand in his left one. "You and Nevada."
"Am I getting a new brother or sister?" Savannah asked.
"No," Leonard said. "No, no more brothers and sisters."
"What's wrong?" was the next question.
"Nothing's wrong, baby girl," Penny said. "Your daddy and I just have an announcement to make."
"Something's wrong," Savannah said, starting to look a little scared.
"Oh, baby," Penny said, shaking her head. "Nothing is wrong."
"Do you remember when you asked why Mommy wears this ring on her left hand?" Leonard asked, gesturing with his head as Penny held her left hand out for their daughter to see.
"Yes," Savannah said.
"Do you remember what Daddy told you?" Penny asked her.
Savannah nodded. "Yes. He said it was a symbol. Like my shirt with Arthur's glasses on the front tells people that I watch Arthur."
Leonard nodded. "And what did I tell you this ring means?"
"That you and Mommy will love each other for fourteen gazgillion years and are going to get married someday."
"That's right," Penny said. "And your Daddy and I have decided that it's time for us to plan a wedding. We're going to get married very soon."
Savannah nodded, but as Penny had thought, she looked underwhelmed. "What does that do?" She asked.
Of course, Penny thought, she wouldn't understand. Howard and Bernadette and Sheldon and Amy had married before Savannah had been born, and Raj and Missy, as well as her parents, lived together. The little girl was still several weeks short of her fifth birthday , and she knew nothing of her parents' history. Of course she wouldn't be jumping off the walls at this news. For her, nothing would change, and to a four year old, if it didn't affect her, the significance would be lost. Penny wanted to look the girl in the eyes and say why aren't you excited? Don't you understand what this means? But she knew it wouldn't do any good. Savannah was trying, Penny could see it in her expression, but nothing was clicking.
"Well," Leonard said, "your Mommy and I love each other even more now than when I told you about her ring, so being married is something we really want to do. It's like we're officially in love. And it will make some legal processes a bit simpler. And Mommy will take Daddy's last name. Your teachers and friends' parents will call us Dr. and Mrs. Hofstadter."
It clicked. Penny saw it click, and the smile that came over her face mirrored that of her daughter's. "Mommy will have my last name?" she asked.
"I sure will, Savvy," Penny said, smiling and nodding.
"We would…we would all be Hofstadter?" Savannah said, her eyes big, staring at her parents as if silently pleading with them to affirm.
They both nodded. "We will be Leonard Hofstadter, Penny Hofstadter, Savannah Hofstadter, and Nevada Hofstadter," Leonard said.
Savannah's hands were dramatically covering her mouth, and Penny's eyebrows raised when she noticed the girl's eyes glinting. "Are you crying, Savvy?"
"Mommy!" The girl said, jumping off the couch and against her mother, hugging her and jumping up and down. Penny pulled Leonard into the hug, and the three of them stayed locked in the embrace for several seconds before Savannah pulled back and kissed both her parents on the cheeks before jumping back up on the couch and looking down into Ada's basket. The baby looked calmly up at her sister.
"Why aren't you excited?" Savannah asked Ada, putting her hands on either side of the basket and staring down at the unimpressed four month old. "Don't you understand what this means?"
I felt that the last name thing, since it came up very early on in the fic, would be enough to get Savannah excited. With all her friends' parents sharing a last name, she knew that meant something important, but hadn't quite figured out yet that it happened because the parents had gotten married.
I know I'd tentatively had Penny/Amy's arc continuing in this chapter, but I decided I'd rather end it here, with Savannah verbalizing to Ada what Penny wanted to verbalize to Savannah earlier in the chapter, and address the Penny/Amy stuff next time, since I'm not entirely happy with my drafts and need a bit more time on them.
Expect an update Sunday or Monday!