Fridays were definitely the best, Penny mused as she stood in the doorway of her boyfriend's lab. He had yet to spot her, and she remained silent, observing him engrossed in his work. Just like last night during their date, Leonard was currently wearing a tight shirt that showed much more of his physique than his regular attire. She nearly forgot to breath when he moved an apparently heavy piece of equipment, causing the hem of his sleeves to strain against his muscles.

And once again, Penny found herself incredibly aroused by her sweet physicist. Since her weekly visits always entailed some very physical enjoyment, Penny figured she might as well start with that today. She moved inside, closing and locking the door behind her, her eyes never wavering from the man of her desire. She smiled when he finally turned in her direction. "Hi," she said, surprising herself with the breathy quality of her voice.

He grinned. "Hi. I didn't realize it was that late already."

Penny shrugged. "It's not, I'm a bit early." She glanced down. "Like an hour early." She turned her eyes upward, looking at Leonard through her eyelashes. "You don't mind, do ya?"

"No, no, of course not!"

Penny released her breath at his assurance, which he followed by a hug. She happily returned the hug. "So, whatcha doin?" She glanced around. "You better not be building a robot girlfriend," she said jokingly.

"Wh- what? N-no, of course not!"

Penny tilted her head slightly, scrutinizing Leonard. "Leonard?"

He sighed. "Well, I'm not building one, Howard is, and, uh, well, before you and I met, I, uh..."

Penny's eyebrows nearly flew of her head. "Seriously?!"

He grinned then. "Of course not! I'm not that desperate. Or that stupid. We are talking about an engineer who managed to get his junk trapped in a robot's hand not once, but twice. I wasn't going to take any chances in that department."

Penny giggled, mostly from relief. "Well, I'm glad you didn't risk your buddy, 'cause I really like him."

"You do?"

Penny noticed his insecurity, knew it was all thanks to the women who'd dated him before her. And then there was of course the damage caused by Beverly. She didn't want him to be so insecure, and she figured the only way to make him realize he had no reason at all to feel that way, was to show him over and over how incredible he was, what he meant to her. How horny he made her. She nodded in reply, biting her lower lip slightly. "Yeah, I wouldn't be here, like, an hour early if I didn't." She realized she was actually blushing at admitting she came early for that, but it was the truth.

Leonard grinned slightly, but just stood there looking at her.

After a minute, Penny broke the silence. "Leonard? Take of your clothes."


Leonard knocked on Penny's front door, and waited for either his girlfriend or her son to open the door. He was therefor surprised to see an older and somewhat familiar looking man open the door, looking at him questioningly.

"Oh, uh," Leonard began, taking a quick glance at the number beside the door to make sure he was at the right address. "I'm here for Penny?"

"And you are..?"

"Oh, uh, Leonard." He stuck out his hand. "Hofstadter," he added when the man didn't seem to be very satisfied with just his first name. "Dr. Leonard Hofstadter," he elaborated.

"Don't think there's anyone sick, Doc," the man answered, smiling at him.

Leonard pulled back his hand when he realized the man was not going to take it. "Oh, no, Sir. I'm not an MD, I'm a PhD. Experimental physicist," he clarified. He was now sure he'd seen this man somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it. Was this one of Penny's clients, perhaps? He didn't know very many actors, except for those who played in his favorite movies or TV shows, and he was almost positive this man hadn't played in anything he'd seen.

A look of understanding came to the man's face, but he jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Oh, are you tutoring Andy?"

Leonard shook his head. "No Sir, I'm here for his mother, Penny."

He frowned. "You are going to tutor Penny? I didn't think she'd be all that interested in physics."

Leonard wanted to pull his hair out in frustration, but politely he set the record straight: "No, Sir. I'm dating Penny. Penny and I are dating."

"Oh, Leonard, I'm so sorry for being late." Penny's voice came from behind him, ending this nightmare of a conversation. Her greeting was quickly followed by, "Oh my God, Daddy!"

Leonard watched as his girlfriend launched herself into her father's arms. So, that's why the man had looked familiar: he'd seen his picture around Penny's house several times.

"Hey, Slugger," he greeted her, obvious affection in his voice. "I decided to surprise you and my grandson, but it looks like the surprise is on me."

Penny stepped back and smiled. "Daddy, this is Leonard, Leonard this is daddy," she said, making a formal introduction. "Leonard's my boyfriend," she added moving back to him and placing her hands behind his neck. "Sorry, Leonard," she said softly. "I didn't know he'd be coming for a visit." She kissed him then, just a peck, really, but on the lips nonetheless.

Leonard felt slightly uncomfortable kissing Penny in front of her father, but a quick glance in his direction showed the man smiling.

"Relax, I've seen her do a lot worse with a lot stupider."


It had been a long time since the last time Penny had been nervous about what her father thought. Eleven years, give or take. Right after she had found out she was pregnant. Of course, that time, like the various times before it, had been for completely different reasons. Unlike now, those situations had been because she had made a mistake. Not this time, though. At least, Penny didn't think she'd made a mistake about dating Leonard.

Her father was nice enough to Leonard, even allowing her boyfriend to address her father by his first name, which Leonard had still hesitated to do. But Penny had trouble reading her father, not quite sure he approved of her choice. Not that she would dump Leonard if her father didn't agree. After all, it was her life, her decision, and this one wasn't nearly as life altering as getting pregnant and subsequently having a baby at a young age.

No, if daddy didn't agree, Penny would probably try to make him see why Leonard was an excellent boyfriend. At least he seemed glad to find out Leonard was actually smart, had a good job, and was polite. She hid a grin remembering former boyfriends when she'd been a teen who weren't quite as polite. Of course, being as stubborn as she was, she usually stayed with those boyfriends for a little longer that she'd normally would have, simply because her father had tried to tel her to break up with the guy. But her stubbornness wouldn't be the reason she'd stay with Leonard, no matter what he thought about Leonard.

Unfortunately this surprise visit meant she wasn't going to be spending an entire weekend with just her boyfriend, at least not to do all the things she had started to plan as soon as Andy had mentioned he was going to spend the entire weekend with Rick. True, like he had told Leonard, her father had seen her do quite a bit more than the sweet kisses and small touches she had so far exchanged with Leonard. But she wasn't going to have him witness anything beyond those small tokens of affection, no matter how much she wanted to move and sit in Leonard's lap and really make out.


"Nah, I'll stay at a motel," Wyatt replied when both Penny and Leonard simultaneously assured him he could stay in the guest room. "You kids probably want some private time, and I can certainly understand."

Leonard couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed, knowing what Wyatt expected would happen. "Uh, that really isn't necessary, Wyatt. You don't get to see your daughter that often and..."

"Nonsense. It's not like I'm missing a lot of time with her if I sleep somewhere else. I'll get to spend more time with her tomorrow. But I'd like to take both of you out for a steak dinner tomorrow night."

Leonard looked at Penny, confusion on his face. "Aren't you a vegetarian?" Leonard was pretty sure Penny had told him that, and as far as he could remember, she'd never eaten anything with meat in it.

Penny nodded. "Yeah, but I love steak."

"Don't try to understand her reasoning, Leonard," Wyatt warned him, adding a wink. "Her logic, like with most women, differs from ours too much to ever understand it."

Leonard grinned. "I'll keep that in mind, Wyatt."

Wyatt stood. "Alright, I'll be back tomorrow around nine."

Leonard observed once again as Penny and Wyatt hugged each other. He never had that, never had any kind of affection from his parents, and he couldn't help but feel just a little bit jealous. He must have shown his feelings, because as soon as Penny turned around after Wyatt had left, her smile morphed into a frown.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Penny came close to him, her hand rubbing his arm. "Daddy likes you, you know. He wouldn't have left with you still here if he didn't," she added, jumping to the wrong conclusion.

"No, it's nothing like that," Leonard assured her. "It's just that, uh... Well, you and your father are really close, and... uh."

Penny smiled softly. "And you didn't get that at home with your parents?" She pulled him in close. "Oh, Leonard, I'm so sorry you had such a crappy childhood."

He shrugged lightly, but leaned further into her embrace. "It's not your fault."


Once again Penny was silent. She only half listened to her daddy talking with Leonard while he drove the both of them back to Penny's place. She didn't really mind Leonard learning a whole lot more about her rebellious and somewhat stupid teenage years. No, her silence was because of what she had accidentally overheard earlier, without either of the men knowing.

Daddy had actually told Leonard to never give up on her, even if she'd, as he had put it, "be all stubborn about something and push you away." It had caused some conflicted emotions in her. On the one hand, he obviously approved of her relationship with Leonard, and wanted to make sure Leonard understood. But on the other hand, he obviously believed she was still the stupid, stubborn girl who'd gotten pregnant a few months before her eighteenth birthday.

That had definitely hurt, even if it hadn't been his intention. What hurt the most was that he really couldn't know how much she had changed, considering they rarely ever had been together for longer than one or two days. That was partially her fault, always postponing visits because of work. How often had she taken Andy to Nebraska over the almost seven years they'd been living in Pasadena? Twice? And they'd only stayed for three days both times, she remembered.

It really was her own fault, and it was not fair of her to treat her parents that way. Especially not after they'd helped her out with Andy while she was working hard to earn her college degree. Yes, Daddy had visited almost every year, but her mom, being afraid to fly, had only seen her daughter and grandson twice in seven years. And her sister, like their mom also afraid to fly, had seen her only once.

Penny knew she should, and could, try to visit her family more often. She wasn't rich, but she could definitely afford to visit her family once a year, and for longer than just a couple of days. The company had already hinted at forcing her to take a vacation, since she'd only twice taken a week during the seven years. She almost snorted at the realization she'd become a workaholic; never during her teenage years had she ever expected anything like that to happen. But she really enjoyed her job, and she had allowed it to dictate her life.


"Penny?" Leonard waited for her to turn her attention toward him as she got ready for bed. "Is everything alright? You've been so quiet." He could see several emotions on her face.

"Yeah," she replied, a soft smile on her lips. "I've been thinking about stuff."

"Oh." Leonard wasn't quite sure what to say or think. In his experience, whenever a girlfriend was quiet and 'thinking about stuff' it hadn't really turned out good for him. But this time, it seemed different. Her reasons to quietly think didn't seem to be about their relationship specifically. "You know you don't have to worry about what your dad told me, right? I mean, I know that was in your past, but I also know how much you've changed. The Penny I know is very different from the Penny Wyatt told me about."

"That's just it," she told him quietly, stepping closer to him. "Daddy doesn't know I have changed. He still believes I'm this stupid, stubborn person."

Leonard was surprised, remembering what Wyatt had told him earlier. "Wha-at?" Yeah, smooth, Hofstadter. "I don't think your dad thinks you are either of those things."

"Leonard, I heard him tell you to not give up on me when I'd be all stubborn about something."

"Oh." Again, Leonard wasn't quite sure how to respond.

She smiled at him. "I'm not mad at you. Or daddy. He doesn't really know me anymore. Sure, he comes for a visit nearly every year for a day or two, and I've been back home twice in the past seven years for three days only. He can't really know me."

"Oh." Leonard was slightly confused. While he had never looked forward to visits with any of his immediate family, he didn't think Penny would feel the same. He shifted his attention back to her when she chuckled.

"I guess I am kinda stubborn," she said, not really looking at him. "I wanted to prove I don't need them, that I'm a smart, successful, grown woman. That I'm not that stupid, stubborn girl that got herself in trouble in an attempt to prove a point."

She fell silent and Leonard watched her thoughtfully, but still clueless about how to help her. He really had no experience with this kind of thing, were you actually cared and loved your family.

Eventually Penny looked right at him. "I've decided I'm going to visit them this summer with Andy before he goes of to college. And not for just a few days, but two or three weeks." She looked hopefully at him. "Maybe you could come as well?"

Leonard was stunned she invited him over for a vacation with her family, a vacation she clearly intended to use to restrengthen the bond with her family.

"I know mom will be dying to get to know you better, once daddy tells her about us. And I could pay for your flight, if that's what holding you back. I'd really like for you to be there with me."

Leonard smiled. "Penny, the money is not what's holding me back."

"Oh, right. You don't want to come?"

Leonard has not seen her this vulnerable before, and he hastened to reassure her. "Of course I do! But it sounds to me you have a special reason for this vacation, and I don't want to get in the way of that."

Penny looked confused. "Why would you get in the way? Getting close again with my family doesn't entail spending twenty four seven with them. Plus, like I said, mom will want to meet you, and since she's afraid of flying, it's not likely she'll be visiting any time soon."

Leonard pressed his lips against hers in a brief and light kiss, effectively ending the stream of words. "I'd love to come visit your family." He couldn't miss the relieved exhalation that preceded her verbal response.

"Great! I'll check at work on Monday when I could get the time off, but I doubt they'll be difficult about it."

They both fell silent, Leonard keeping his arm around her waist. After a minute a grin formed. "So, cow tipping, huh?"

The frown forming on her face was offset by the sparkle in her eyes. "Hey, I'm telling you I've done it, okay? I clearly remember the cow standing up and then the cow on its side."

"Where you drunk," Leonard asked, pretty sure she had been. The stories Wyatt had told him had shown Penny had been quite wild during that period of her life.

"I was sixteen in Nebraska. What do you think?"

Leonard grinned. "I think you're the one who fell over."