A/N I had a mostly quiet month, for this year, anyway and nothing bad was going on. Then, our A/C decided to start having problems (remember it's late July and I live in Florida). Well, it had to have repairs done and will have to have some more in the near future, so more money going out this year. We also need to replace our utility shed and some carpeting. This year just keeps getting worse and worse, on the financial side.

On what may be a good thing, I noticed my one story at AO3 (that is very explicit and has been up for less than two years) has more hits than all of my one-shots and the short multi-chapters(which have been up for years). So, I decided I would edit some of those pieces and move them over to AO3. All my one-shots and a couple of the shorter multi-chapter ones will eventually be moved.

Some of it is I'm unhappy with parts of my earlier work, after all, it was my first writing and I've learned a thing or two. Part of it is some of the later seasons of the show invalidated parts of the stories. So, some edits, and I'll put them up, hopefully with enough changes to make me (and you) happy with it. I don't think I'll be working on anything more than 25,000 words (Chew Toy, Broken Threads, Unwrapped Consequence, In-Law Nebraska, and the current Gemini) for a while yet. The edited The Cohabitation Reversal is now over there for those who might want to see what minor changes I've made. Enjoy.

Chapter 7 Disagreement

7 August 10:00 AM

Penny was backing out of the garage and reached the edge of the street and stopped, she then pushed the button that closed her garage door. It had taken the whole hour from when Leonard left to get ready to leave, with her parents and the twins. Wyatt was in the front seat, Susan was in the back, in the middle seat and the twins were in their carriers. All of the twins' accouterments, stroller, diapers, and extra clothes, were in the trunk. The twins' formula and bottles were in the back seat, on the floor.

Penny had given Louise the morning off, she would be coming in at 1 PM, because Penny, her parents, and the twins would be at Penny's work. She had talked to Dan about coming in for a bit today. There were many who wanted to see the twins and Penny wanted to show her parents her place of work. Dan also said he wanted to talk to her and that he would arrange for Penny and the twins to be somewhere, where the others could come and see them. Dan said he would also schedule who came and when, so Penny wasn't overwhelmed.

7 August, 11:00 AM

The whole group entered Zangen, with the twins in the two-place stroller. Penny took the elevator to Dan's floor and walked to his office. On the way, she saw several people she knew who nodded and smiled at her, with an exchange of, "Hello". Arriving at Dan's office, his secretary, Pamala Bryce was the name on her desk and was new to Penny. Hmmm, Dan must have gotten a new secretary while I've been out, thought Penny approaching the desk. Penny gave her name and waited.

She heard Pamala announce her, and that she had two babies and two others with her. It was seconds after that when Dan came out smiling. Pamala looked puzzled when he gave Penny a hug, then shook both Wyatt's and Susan's hands when Penny introduced them. He then pointed toward his office and said, "Ms. Bryce, hold all calls and visitors until 1 PM." Then he followed them into the office. He offered them beverages, then seated them at his meeting table. He was smiling as he looked at the twins.

After a few minutes, he said, "It's nice to see babies again. Ours are ten and eight, I kind of miss this stage."

Dan asked about how everything had been going and Penny explained about their birth, her problem, and loss of blood, along with what she and Leonard had been doing over the last month and a half. Penny asked how sales had been going and Dan gave Penny a quick recap of how the company had been doing since Penny was forced to take time off.

At 11:30 AM, Bernadette came into the office and Dan led the group to a conference room. It was set up for lunch, with various dishes for the group to eat. Dan explained it was simpler to have lunch here and then allow those who wanted to come and see Penny and the twins. Penny thanked Dan and all of them took time for lunch. There was more small talk and Dan explained that he had arranged for Penny to be available until 1 PM, as he didn't want to overwhelm her. Penny thanked him and by 11:50 there was already a group waiting to come in and Penny told Dan to let them in. Bernadette took over the care of the twins and for the next hour, people Penny had known and worked with came to the conference room and said hello to Penny and to fawn over the twins.

Penny was having a good time, while Dan explained to Penny's parents who the people were that Penny was talking to. He also told them how Penny worked with them and the good job she had done as a salesperson and now as a District Manager. While they were proud of Penny, they were a bit surprised by how well everyone seemed to regard her and how well she seemed to fit into this corporate world. They hey knew she had been doing very well and Dan's explanations made them even more aware of how far their daughter had come from the girl that had left Nebraska at 18.

There were still a few people waiting to talk to Penny at 1 PM, but Penny wasn't pushy about keeping to the limit. They were all gone by 1:15 and the group made their way back to Dan's office. While Bernadette and Susan packed up all the twins' gear, Penny was talking with Dan. He reminded her that she said she would be willing to come in, while on maternity leave if there were some situations to learn some things. She reminded him she didn't want to spend a lot of time and he chuckled and said it would only be a few hours, no more than four if she came in.

In addition, it would only be one day in August and September and only two in October. After that, she would be back to work full time. Penny thought for a minute then nodded, saying, "That sounds fine. Nothing too long and it would give me a little time before going full bore. Penny was paying attention to Dan and didn't. See the shocked and horrified faces of her parents."

7 August, 2:00 PM

The group left Zangen, with Penny stopping briefly at the store for some detergent, before getting back to the house. Her parents were quiet during the trip and as soon as they got home they told Penny they were taking a nap. This made Penny think that they were tired, so she didn't think about it any longer. Penny was tired herself, so after greeting Louise and feeding the twins, she headed up to her bedroom, to take her own nap. Louise, who had been waiting for them to return, burped, changed, and put them down for their nap

As soon as Wyatt and Susan got into their room, Susan turned around and whispered, "She isn't really going back to work, is she?"

"That's what it sounds like," said Wyatt softly.

"She should be home with the babies, not working," said Susan.

"I agree with you Susan," said Wyatt. "But, I don't think it's any of our business. About all we can do, is give her our opinion, and she and Leonard will have to make their own decision."

"But, don't you think we should guide them in this?" Asked Susan. "After all, they're new to being parents and we have a lot more experience."

Wyatt looked troubled, "I don't know Susan. We weren't in the best of shape when we had Lisa. These two are older and in much better financial shape. I'm not sure there is anything we can tell them."

"I think there is," said Susan. "And, yes, we did struggle at the beginning, be I'm talking about now, we have much more experience."

Well I don't think we should say anything," said Wyatt. "Now, I'm taking a nap, and don't forget we are going out for dinner, so don't do anything to make it strange with the kids."

"I won't," said Susan.

Wyatt laid down on the bed, but Susan was looking out the window, thinking.

7 August, 8:00 PM

Leonard, Penny, Wyatt, and Susan came in the door talking loudly and were greeted by Louise with her forefinger over her mouth and a soft, "Shhhhhhhhh, the twins just got to sleep. They all became quiet and Wyatt and Susan walked over to the love seat and sat down, while Penny and Leonard stayed with Louise.

Louise said, "They were fussy tonight. I fed them around six, played with them for about a half hour then put them down. But, they didn't want to go to sleep. They kept making noises. They finally went to sleep less than fifteen minutes ago. Also, Howard dropped by, he brought your mail, he picked it up when he got his, it's on the island in the kitchen."

Leonard started toward the kitchen while Penny said to Louise, "I'm sorry they were such a problem, Louise. We're home and you can go now, see you around nine tomorrow morning."

"Thank you for shifting my time, to keep my hours up," said Louise, who then went into the downstairs bedroom, gathered her things, and after saying goodbye to everyone, left.

Penny walked over and sat down on the couch while Leonard walked back from the kitchen and sat down next to her, reading something from their mail and looking upset. She looked at Leonard sideways as she and her parents talked about the farm sales and when Wyatt thought he would be out again. Wyatt explained that it would depend on how planting went and then next fall, how the harvest looked.

Penny turned to Leonard and said, "What's wrong sweetie?"

"Oh, it's our escrow." Said Leonard. "Both our taxes and our insurance are going up. But, we should be able to handle it. We don't need to talk about it, now."

"Will it be a problem with Penny staying home with the twins," said Susan.

Penny looked at Susan, and said, tightly, "Who said I'll be staying home with the twins?"

"I just thought you'd be staying home with them," said Susan. "Or are you going to have to work, because of the increase in your house payments?"

"I will not have to work, because of the increase in escrow costs," said Penny. "We can afford this place just fine, on Leonard's salary. Me going back to work has nothing to do with our finances."

Wyatt spoke up, "I think what your mother was trying to say…"

"Daddy, I don't want to discuss it, right now," said Penny. With that Penny stood and walked up the stairs.

There was an uncomfortable silence, then Susan, without a word, walked up the stairs also. Wyatt looked at Leonard and said, "I think I'll head up too, see if there is a movie on."

Leonard watched Wyatt go, then turned on the TV. After a few minutes, he realized he wouldn't be able to watch TV, so he checked the doors, making sure they were locked before turning off all the lights and heading up the stairs, wondering what he was going to say to Penny.

8 August, 8:00 AM

Penny and Leonard were sitting at the island, drinking coffee. The twins had been fed, changed, and had been tickled, and played with, before being put in their playpens. They were both playing with the blocks and to Leonard, it looked as if they were trying to stack them.

Wyatt came down the stairs and turned away after making eye contact with Penny. He poured a cup of coffee and sat at the dining room table. A few minutes later, Susan came down, and mumbled, "Good morning," before pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting with Wyatt.

Leonard could feel the tension in the room. After getting into bed, the previous night, he had talked with Penny and suggested she apologize to her parents. She objected because she didn't think they should stick their noses in Penny and Leonard's business. Leonard pointed out all they did was ask a question and Penny ran off. Saying you didn't want to talk about it was fine, but just running off, was rude, Leonard pointed out. Penny didn't say anything, just turned her back on Leonard and shut off her light. Now, Leonard sidled up to Penny and nudged her toward her parents. Penny glared at him, then resignedly sighed and walked to the dining room table.

"Look, I'm sorry I ran off last night," said Penny. "I just wasn't ready to talk about work or when I go back."

"Can we talk about it now?" Asked Susan.

Penny sighed, she knew they would continue to press her on this, so she nodded and said, "Before we start, I just want to let you know that Leonard and I planned for this when we bought the house. We made sure we could afford it on his salary alone. And, since I make more than him, we knew we could afford it on my salary alone. And, while we can afford the house and Louise on his salary, our budget may be a bit tighter than we are used to, but we can do it. So, me going back to work has nothing to do with whether or not we can make it, financially, okay?"

Wyatt nodded and Susan said, "Then you should stay home and be with your babies."

Penny shook her head, "As I said, going back has nothing to do with needing the money. I don't want to feel like I have to quit being a person, just to become a mother. I feel I would be a better mother and set a better example for the girls if I continue working. Louise does a fine job of taking care of the twins and her taking care of them doesn't mean I don't love or want to take care of my babies."

Susan said, "That's silly Penny. Your father and I have talked about this and we both think that you staying home with your children is better than they're going into daycare or having some random nanny take care of them. I stayed home with all of you and I think it worked out just fine."

Penny saw this, partially, as an attack on Louise, and she was not going to put up with this. The look on her face told Leonard all he needed to know. He wanted to try and get to her to calm her down, but it was too late and he was too far away.

Penny was yelling, "I'll have you know that Louise has five years of experience with twins. It took Leonard and me several weeks of work to select Louise. Some random nanny? She has been a godsend for us, teaching us a lot about babies in general and twins in particular. At the daycare center, like Louise, all of the people there have to childhood developmental classes and certificates. They are taught CPR and can handle minor medical emergencies, much better than I could handle them."

Penny took a deep breath but was still yelling, "As far as working out just fine, you really think it was better? Have you been in a coma for the last thirty years? Your son has been in and out of prison because he's been a drug dealer and drug addict since high school. Your first daughter has been in and out of relationships, in and out of jobs, and was pregnant before getting married, like you, and has now been married and divorced twice. Not to mention she was so drunk at one point, she shot her husband."

Penny's eyes started filling with tears and her voice became soft and low, "And, then there's me. Sleeping around and drinking while I was in high school. Followed a really crappy guy out here to get away from home and spent four years in a really bad relationship with him. After I finally found the courage to break up with him I was still dropping in and out of bad relationships, because I was just so desperate to find someone to love me. When I finally did find someone, I couldn't even see I was in a good relationship. And, because I didn't know I was in a good one, I couldn't bring myself to commit to him. I almost threw it all away because you think '…it worked out just fine.' Thank God he stuck around for me." She looked at Leonard and smiled.

Turning back to her parents, she said, with a deep growl in her voice, "Is that what you mean by it's better to be home with your kids, than out working?"

Penny's look of anger contrasted with Wyatt and Susan's shocked faces.