This one is a bit different from the other stories in this collection. It's a Sheldon/Penny/Bernadette story, so if you don't like OT3 stories, don't read on.

:A Woo-ful Trinity:

When they came, they brought superior technology and weapons. But what the aliens hadn't counted on was the violent, indomitable spirit of the human race. Humans did what no other species on any other planet the aliens had conquered did. They fought back. And the prevailed. The cost was high. Over 3 billion dead, injured or missing. Whole cities leveled. Earth's most advanced species was decimated.

Sheldon limped along the cracked sidewalk toward home with anticipation. It was spaghetti night. He moved toward the weathered bench that marked the halfway point and sat down to massage his thigh. An explosion 4 months ago had wounded him badly. He was still getting mobility back in it, and he sometimes needed to rest. He watched a couple of deer munch on the overgrown grass of what was formerly a daycare playground for a couple of minutes. As soon as the muscles loosened up he stood and continued his journey. He dare not be too late, or his girls would worry.

His girls. He chuckled to himself as he imagined his old friend's reaction to that. He spared a thought to wonder if any of them were still alive. Leonard had fled California during the first assault, setting out for his mother's home in New Jersey. Raj's parents had whisked him back to India as soon as possible. Howard had taken his mother with him when NASA began gathering engineers in Cape Canaveral. Amy had rushed to Saudi Arabia where her fiancée's resources and influence promised safety.

He had a couple of options. Go home to Galveston, continue to work at Cal-tech, or return to Germany and help coordinate efforts overseas. With his mind, he was invaluable. When Bernadette and Penny had shown up at his door, his choice was easy.

They had "appropriated" a small ranch house 6 blocks from the army base. Sheldon worked with the military, coordinating scientists all over the world. Bernadette worked with the biochemical division, studying the aliens. Penny kept them fed, sane and together.

For almost 6 months they had shared the house, closer friends than ever before. Sheldon came to rely on both women, and they needed him as well. Then one night he had woken up to the sound of low moans. He had scrambled from bed, worried Penny had become ill. He hurried to her room and opened the door, only to stumble onto a scene he had never imagined.

To say he was embarrassed was an understatement. For the next week he had avoided them as much as possible until Penny finally confronted him. She accused him of being narrow-minded. She said he had no right to judge them. Bernadette had been softly crying on the couch. The pain in both women's eyes made him blurt out the truth. He wasn't disgusted. He was jealous.

He had been appalled and humiliated as Penny and Bernadette froze and stared at him in shock. He had rushed to his room, fearful they would laugh at him. Or even worse? Kick him out. But they hadn't. They had come to his room and slowly sat down on either side of him. Neither woman spoke, just waited for him to look up. Then Penny had leaned in and kissed him softly. When she moved away, Bernadette had done the same.

It was so much easier than any of them had ever imagined it could be. No amount of planning could have made that first time go smoother. Penny had taken the lead, directing them as if it was a dance. They had undressed each other slowly, taking care to put him at ease.

He was amazed and enthralled by the differences between the two women. Bernadette was fond of slow kisses and tender touches. Her neck was more sensitive, and her squeaky moans took on a musical quality. Penny was more apt to nibble or bite on his earlobes or neck and she was louder, more vocal about what she liked. Bernadette liked having her breasts played with, and Penny liked doing it. Bernadette was happiest on top, but Penny liked to be on the bottom.

And him? He had preferences for each. With Bernadette he liked to hold her close as she rode him, sharing sweet kisses and breathing in her strawberry scent. With Penny he could be rougher. He could unleash the more animalistic side of himself with sharp deep thrusts that made her scream his name.

He enjoyed watching them together, too. He had never realized how much of a voyeur he was until he sat on a chair, at Bernadette's request, and watched them love each other. He had never understood Leonard and Howard's obsession with porn until that night. Watching Penny drive Bernadette crazy with her mouth, and hearing the breathy gasps that only Bernadette's nimble fingers could draw from Penny had given him almost as much pleasure as it had them.

They all agreed, though, that their favorite times were when it was all three of them. Him, driving himself into Penny as she teased Bernadette with fingers and tongue, or Bernadette rising up over him and he lavished Penny's core with his own tongue.

And it wasn't just about the sexual congress. When he had been hurt, both of them had refused to leave his side for even the most urgent of reasons. When Bernadette was in quarantine over a spilled virus, he and Penny had sat up for two days, clinging to each other as they awaited word. They had been unable to imagine the future without Bernadette. The idea of one of them being gone was devastating to all three of them.

Maybe what they had was not "normal" but it was what made them happy. They loved each other. That's all there was to it.

Sheldon finally reached the back door to their home, looking forward to a good meal and some relaxing on the couch. He opened the door to see both of them standing by the kitchen island. Penny looked over at him, worry in her expression. Sheldon frowned to see the same look on Bernadette's face.

"Sheldon, look who came back," Penny said quietly. He closed the door, allowing him to see their guests for the first time.

"Sheldon!" Amy cried out as she rushed over and threw her arms around him tight. He cringed back, quickly disentangling himself from her arms. "Sorry," Amy said with disappointment. "I was just so glad to see you."

He looked over at Leonard, Leslie Winkle, Howard and Raj and felt anxiety settle in his chest. He looked back at the women and noticed they had joined hands. They were both watching him with resignation, and it suddenly hit him. They were afraid he was going to abandon them! The return of his friends afforded him the opportunity to return to his previous way of life. A return to his schedules, and structure. They thought he would choose the past over them!

Sheldon sat his messenger bag on the table and hung up his jacket. He walked over and pulled Penny into a tender embrace before kissing her deeply. Then he did the same to Bernadette. He settled an arm around each woman's shoulders and looked at his old friends. "Welcome to our home. It is good to know you are all alive."

Leonard turned red and Howard's jaw dropped. Amy gasped and shook her head in disbelief. Leslie looked dumbfounded. Raj just smiled. Leonard stepped forward aggressively. "Want to catch me up?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Sheldon shrugged. "We have three bedrooms, and a comfortable couch. You are welcome to stay with us until you find lodging elsewhere. You'll have to double up in the bedrooms, but I leave it to you to decide who sleeps where. The large bedroom at the end of the hallway is ours. Please do not enter it. No one is allowed in our room."

Penny smiled up at Sheldon with relief. "Supper is in an hour. I hope you all like spaghetti with little hot dogs slices."

"I don't understand," Amy said in a hurt voice. "What do you mean the large bedroom is yours? You have three beds in there?" she asked hopefully.

Bernadette shook her head. "No. He means it's our bedroom. We sleep together. Sheldon, Penny and I. We are in a relationship. Together."

Penny pointed to Howard. "Don't say it!" she warned firmly. "This is not up for discussion. We are glad to see you all. We are glad you cared enough to come back. But things are different now. WE are different now. We love each other, all three of us. If you want to be part of our lives, you will have to just accept it. Otherwise, go back to wherever you all abandoned us for."

Leonard looked wounded. "Penny I came back because I love you."

Amy moved closer. "What about us, Sheldon? You always said you were too evolved for this sort of thing. We had a connection beyond the physical."

Sheldon smiled down at Bernadette and she cuddled closer to him. "I was wrong, Amy. I love Penny and Bernadette, and they love me just as much as they love each other."

"You didn't love me enough to stay when the world fell apart," Penny said to Leonard softly. "I don't blame you for that. I didn't love you enough to chase after you. I love Bernadette and Sheldon enough to follow them anywhere."

Leonard and Amy left soon after. Howard and Leslie took one bedroom and Raj took the other. A week later Howard and Leslie returned to Florida. Raj stayed, but it took him a couple of months to adjust to the easy and open affection between his three friends. He worked on renewing his friendships with them and helping the country rebuild. The human race began restoring itself. Life carried on.