New update! It's been a while since I updated this one, since it isn't a serialized thing, but I haven't been able to focus long enough to write either of my other WIPs in a way that I won't want to redo them later, so I decided to type this one out. It's got…a bit of a different tone than the other ones, but it addresses a possibility that might occur, though probably not as specific as I have here.
"Leonard, I have something to tell you."
The sudden seriousness in her voice, when before he'd gone to work they had been so playful with each other, so happy, made concern shoot through Leonard like a laser beam. She never met him at the door when he came home, and she certainly never opened it right as his hand was reaching for the knob and declare, "Leonard, I have something to tell you."
"What's wrong?" He asked, frowning. "Are you okay?"
She blinked hard then, and reached over, still preventing his access to the apartment, grabbing his hands in both of hers and looking at him with wetting eyes. "Just…come here."
She led him to the couch and they sank down on it. Leonard put a hand up to the back of her neck and made her look at him. "What's the matter?"
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "I've just been thinking about this all day, and…" she sighed, then looked at him. "We screwed up."
Leonard cocked his head slightly. "I'm sorry, I…"
"Well," Penny said slowly, "I told you that I loved you on November fifteenth, right?"
He nodded. "Almost two years ago."
She nodded. "And it's the end of October right now."
"You are the smart one," he said with such a serious face that she almost believed that he meant it.
She allowed herself a half smile. "So the first thing you should know is I was going to ask you to marry me…on that day."
A smile came over Leonard's face, and he looked at her for several seconds before it slowly melted away. "But?"
Penny looked at him for a long moment, and then reached into the purse sitting on the table, withdrew a slender object, and handed it to Leonard. He took it, realized what he was holding and what the display indicated, and his eyes widened as he continued to stare. "Whoa."
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, what's wrong?" Leonard said, his hand moving from her neck to up and down her back. "If we're going to be getting married anyway…"
"Leonard!" Penny said. "Everyone's going to think we're getting married because of the baby. And I can't propose in two weeks because by then we'll be like, what, a month from telling people?"
"Hey," Leonard said, scooting closer to her. "Don't cry. This isn't a bad thing."
"It's not a bad thing!" Penny said, putting her hand on his arm. "It's not." She leaned over to kiss him quickly. "Really, it's not." She smiled. "I know I should be happy. I am happy. I just wish…I wish we'd…I didn't want it to happen like this."
Leonard slid his hand up and used it to direct her head down onto his shoulder, then hugged her close. "No one doubts what we are, Penny," he said. "No one that matters is going to think we only got married because you're pregnant."
Penny lifted her head slowly and looked at him.
"What?" He asked.
She smiled slightly. "I'm pregnant."
Leonard smiled. "Hadn't heard it out loud yet?" When she shook her head, he laughed and pulled her toward him again so he could kiss her on top of the head. He pushed his nose into her forehead. "God, I thought something was so wrong when you opened that door."
She pulled back from him again and sucked in a breath. "Well then," she said, taking his hands. "I was freaking out all day for no reason unless…"
Leonard raised an eyebrow, pretty sure he knew where she was going, but not certain. "Unless…" he prompted.
She slid off the couch and onto her knee. "Will you marry me, Leonard Hofstadter?"
He pretended to consider it. "Well, we are having a baby…"
"Oh, stop it," she said, swatting him.
He smiled. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I'll marry you."
I don't necessarily need Penny and Leonard to be married when they get pregnant, but I really hope they're engaged first…just so people don't try and twist it into a 'shotgun wedding' deal.