A/N As I'm sitting here, emulating Leonard when he was writing his book, except I'm drinking real Scotch Whisky, not apple juice. I have a soft spot for that episode, as I was there for the taping. Anyway, this Scotch is a gift from my daughter, who just returned from the UK.

Jessica Radloff posted a pic I sent her of her book near the Sunshine Skyway and she made some nice comments about me on her stories on IG, so I thanked her on my own IG story.

I've started work on the shed, everything has been taken out of it and I will start cutting it apart this week. Looks like I'll start building the new one in a week and a half or so. After that, I'll be putting pavers near the end of my driveway, by my garage. Trying to keep busy.

As for the announcement I said I would have, I want to first reassure everyone that this story will continue to the end I've envisioned for it. My announcement is simply this: This story will be the last of my longer stories here on Fan Fiction. I've looked at the dropping number of readers and have come to the conclusion that it is simply not worth the time or effort to do another long story here. So, as far as this goes, this is my last long Lenny story.

I will continue, on a very irregular basis, to write one-shots. If an idea comes to me, I can write that quickly without a lot of research or heavy effort. However, most of any new stories will be published first over at AO3. There are more readers there. Over the last five months, I have over eight times as many views for an edited, recycled story there, than I have for the original here. Also, several of my one-shots are going to be NSFW, something that is hit or miss as far as being allowed here. So, it appears that most of my writing will appear at A03, once this story is finished. If you want to follow me there, the name is Tensor11.

As for this chapter, I managed to finish this a week early, so I didn't have to rush the edit as I did for the last chapter. Oh, and there is some almost mature content in this chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 11. Tales From the Past.

11 August 6:30 PM

"WHAT?" said Leonard and Penny in unison, loud enough that several other people looked at them.

"Don't get me wrong," said Alfred. "There is nothing romantic going on between us. When we met at your wedding redo, we enjoyed each other's company. So, we would text, send emails, and even call each other. As a result, we've become very good friends, but nothing intimate has happened."

"She went to New York to see you," asked Learned, a shocked expression still on his face.

"Actually, she came to Princeton," said Alfred. "Then we went to New York for three days. I want to assure you that there wasn't any hanky-panky going on. We each had our own rooms. We would spend the evenings at dinner and then go to one room or the other, just to talk. When it was bedtime, one or the other would go to their room to go to bed."

"And, you went to Texas," said Leonard.

"Yes, and I spent an enjoyable three days in Houston," said Alfred. "And, just like in New York, we had separate rooms…er… well we had a suite, a kitchen, and living room with separate bedrooms and our own bath. So, again, there was no hanky-panky."

"I just can't believe it," said Leonard. "But, why don't you want us to tell Sheldon?"

"It's not that I don't want you, too," said Alfred. "It's more Mary doesn't want Sheldon to know. Mary is a bit worried that it will upset Sheldon, considering how he reacted to us just having a drink together before your wedding."

"And, you think taking her to Italy will make it better for Sheldon?" asked Penny incredulously.

"I don't, but since he is her son and she wants to go, I have to go along with her on this," said Alfred. "I hope you two won't say anything to him."

Leonard and Penny looked at each other, then back at Alfred and they both shook their heads. "Should I assume you going to continue to have separate rooms, in Italy?" asked Leonard.

"Rooms have already been set up," said Alfred. However, it's not quite the way it's been. We'll be staying in Rome for about a week, we have a two-bedroom suite there. However, I'm also taking her to Pisa, so I can show her around my work.

"When we get there, we only have one hotel room, but it does have two beds, so there won't be a problem. We've already talked about it and came up with rules." Alfred chuckled as he said, "I'm even buying pajamas."

Leonard turned to hide a smile just as the waiter came to collect the salad bowls. After the waiter left, Leonard thought of something, "Do George and Missy know?"

Alfred nodded, "Yes, they both know, and they both think it's great. Mary wasn't sure I should tell you, for two reasons. First, because of yours and Sheldon's friendship and second because of your reaction about having drinks together."

"My reaction wasn't that bad," said Leonard. "I'm quite sure I can keep it from Amy and Sheldon."

"Mary did tell Amy," said Alfred.

Both Penny and Leonard's mouths dropped open, "You mean Amy knows?" said Penny.

Again, Alfred chuckled, "Yes, she knows. Mary figured if the plane crashed or something else like that, someone would have to explain it to Sheldon."

"So, have you met George and Missy?" asked Leonard.

"Yes, I have," said Alfred. "And, I must say I like both of them. I really like George, he's a real go-getter."

"I know, I've talked to him several times," said Leonard.

"Missy is still struggling a bit, with the divorce," said Alfred. "Her ex is a real pain in the ass, something I know about…"

"Dad," said Leonard sharply.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, you've reconciled a bit, haven't you?" said Alfred. "Anyway, Missy's husband wants nothing to do with them, which is a shame, and refuses to provide child support. So, Missy had to go back to working as a waitress again and Mary sometimes watches the kids at night. I do like Missy, she is really sweet and works hard to be a good mother. She encouraged her mom and me to get more involved."

"But, neither of us wants it to go past our current friendship. We both realize we wouldn't be a good fit as a permanent couple."

"In what way, dad?" said Leonard.

"Well, our differences in how we think about religion, is the main one," said Alfred. "Also, she's more set in her rural ways and I'm more settled in an urban environment, so we'll visit each other, call each other, and just stay friends. I hope you can get past this."

Leonard looked at his father, "Dad, at your age, you do whatever you want to do. I've learned in the last few years that you can't worry about what other people think, you have to do what makes you happy.

You also have to be able to move on from what bothers you. You mentioned reconciliation with mom, but it was more about me forgiving her so I could move on with my life, not reconciling with her."

Just then, the waiter arrived with their food. As he was putting it down, his father said, "That's a good way to think about it, Leonard. I may have to borrow that."

"Be my guest," said Leonard with a smile. "We've gotten along better since then as a result, but that may change if she wants to experiment on the twins."

"Don't let her overwhelm you, or you Penny," said Alfred. "Stand up to her, that's what you need to do."

"Is this from experience, dad?" asked Leonard.

"Yes, it is," said Alfred. "I know that from bitter experience. She can be quite pushy. Don't let her push either of you around when it comes to your daughters."

Leonard and Penny nodded and the three of them started eating.

12 August 6:00 AM

Penny was again up early, doing her stretching and light yoga before going out for her run. She was still pretty winded by the time she got back to the house, but, at least, she expected it today. She started a little slower and made the run a few minutes less than yesterday. I probably should make even slower tomorrow and cut another couple of minutes, she thought breathing heavily.

She got back to the house at 7:05 and was able to get back into bed until the twins woke her up at 8 AM. She got up, as did Leonard and they got the twins fed and changed before playing with them for a bit before Leonard started breakfast for the two of them.

At 8:30 AM, Alfred came down and Penny got him a cup of coffee while Leonard got out another two eggs, two strips of bacon, and two slices of bread for Alfred's breakfast. The three of them were eating when Louise arrived.

Penny told her to grab a cup of coffee and join them at the table and Leonard asked her if she wanted eggs and bacon. She replied with a negative, poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat down. The four of them started talking about the plans for the day.

12 August 3:00 PM

Alfred was sitting on the couch watching Leonard and Penny with the twins, he had been watching the four of them all day and he liked what he saw. The twins had been fed and changed and their parents were now playing with them. They've played with them more today than I ever did with mine in a day, thought Alfred sadly.

Leonard sighed and said to Penny, "It was so much easier a month ago when we could feed them and put them right back down."

"Yeah, it may have been," said Penny, smiling. "But, it's also more fun playing with them. Making faces at them, bouncing them."

Leonard smiled back at her, "You're right, of course. Think of the fun we'll have when they start giggling, laughing, and learning things. I was worried we wouldn't know how to keep up with them, but having Louise here has been a blessing."

"You know how worried I was at the beginning," said Penny. "Remember I was afraid I wouldn't love them?"

"Neither of you has to worry about any of that," said Alfred. "Your kids are going to grow up in a great environment. Much more so than you had Leonard. You will be great parents if the actions I've seen here are any indication."

"Why do you say that, dad?" asked Leonard.

"You two show so much you love each other, and the twins," said Alfred. "Something that your mother and I didn't have after your sister was born."

Leonard looked puzzled, "What do you mean dad?"

"Something changed in your mother after your sister was born," said Alfred. "She became so cold and clinical, not just to your sister, but to me also. And she got worse, each time after you and your brother were born. By the end, she had flipped almost 180 degrees."

"You two seem so different, how did you meet?" asked Penny.

Alfred stared off into space for a few seconds.

"Come to think of it, I don't know how you two met," said Leonard. "How did you meet? I can't see how you two got together."

Alfred sighed, "It was a different time. I guess you could call us hippies as there was the anti-war movement, alcohol, pills, lots of sex…"

"Wait, what?" said Leonard.

"Leonard, it was the early 70s," said Alfred. "It wasn't much different from the late 60s. We were still wearing our beads, flared jeans, and tie-dyed t-shirts, I had long hair and a beard. As I said, it was a different time."

Leonard looked shocked, but Penny was smirking.

"We met in…let's see, May 1970. Nixon invaded Cambodia and it was seen as a widening of the Vietnam war. So there were huge protests and at one of them, at Kent State in Ohio, four students were killed by the National Guard. So, there was this meeting called where we voted to go on strike, against the university," said Alfred.

"How do students go on strike?" asked Penny.

"It wasn't just the students," said Alfred. "Four thousand students and faculty were at the meeting. Students cut class, the last two weeks of school were basically canceled, all the finals were canceled, and before summer classes started, the university agreed to try and stop the expansion, of the war, where it was in their power to do so. Anyway, a friend of mine brought his girlfriend and his girlfriend brought Beverly."

"The next night there was a party and I met her again," said Alfred. "It was a pretty wild night. Pills, beer, grass, we were both pretty wasted."

"Wait, you were smoking marijuana?" asked Leonard. "And, mom doesn't drink."

"She did back then," said Alfred. "She also was a big proponent of grass, she's the one that got me started on it."

"What?" Said Leonard looking confused, but Penny was almost giggling.

"Oh, yeah, we were both students at the time," said Alfred. "As a matter of fact, we smoked until we got married, which was right after we both got jobs at Princeton."

"I've never heard that before," said Leonard.

"I've never told you about it before," said Alfred. "Back then she was funny and very touchy-feely."

"Again, that doesn't sound like mom," said Leonard.

Alfred chuckled, then said, "I'll tell you, we'd been at the party for a couple of hours, like I said we were wasted and she grabbed my hand and took me out to the backyard of the house. We had been kissing for a while when she undid my pants and started kissing down my chest, I was really enjoying where this was going when she grabbed…"

"Dad, nooooooooo, I don't want to hear it," said Leonard, putting his hands over his ears.

Penny was laughing and when Alfred looked up at Penny Leonard removed his hands from his ears in time to hear Penny say, "Don't worry Alfred, he's like you in that regard, he enjoys it when I start kissing down his stomach…"

"Penny, no, don't be telling him that," said Leonard, his hands going to his ears again.

Penny and Alfred were smiling. "Well, that was our first, ahhhhh, encounter. After that, we were together at protests and parties. We would bounce ideas for our papers off each other and we had a lot of fun over the next few years."

Leonard was shaking his head, "I can't believe this, it sure doesn't sound like the Beverly I've come to know," said Leonard.

"I know," said Alfred. But, I told you. She started changing after she got pregnant with your sister and just got more cold and detached after each baby. Said she didn't want to bias the data with her feelings." Before that, she was pretty wild."

"That doesn't make sense," said Leonard. "You just don't make a change like that. You're saying she went from fun-loving and sexy to cold and calculating? From highly sexual to no sex at all? I can't believe that."

"I can," said Penny.

"What do you mean?" asked Leonard.

"I've seen her that way before," said Penny.

"When?" Said Leonard.

"Do you remember, the Christmas that she came out here?" said Penny.

Leonard thought for a few moments, "Was that the one when you came home with her late and she hugged me?"

"Yeah, that's the one," said Penny with a smile.

"What about it?"

"Well, remember we said something about inappropriate behavior and we weren't going to say anything about it?" Said Penny.

"Oh yeah, in the car, taking her back," said Leonard.

"Yeah, we…" Penny turned to Alfred. "You don't mind, do you? You were already divorced."

Alfred smiled, "No, I don't mind, it will be nice having something on her."

"Well, I took her to The Cheesecake Factory," said Penny. "We were doing shots, I told her I'd teach her to drink, and it didn't take many before she started acting like a party girl. I said I'd go call a cab and she said she was going to put her card in the busboy's back pocket so she could feel his ass."

"You're kidding me," said Leonard.

Penny giggled, then continued, "Nope, when I went back to get her, I couldn't find her. The bartender said she stepped outside the side door. I went out and she was making out with the busboy. His hand was in her blouse and her hand was rubbing his crotch…"

"Now that sounds like the early Beverly," said Alfred.

Penny continued, "I cleared my throat and they broke apart. He looked embarrassed, but she didn't. I told her our cab was there so we started leaving, but she looked back and blew a kiss at the busboy. On the way home, we stopped at Del Taco, to grab something to eat."

Leonard was shaking his head, "I just can't believe it."

"Wait, there's more," said Penny. "When we got here, she talked to you, hugged you, and then you went back to bed. She said something about having a warm feeling and then Sheldon came out. She said, 'Speaking of a warm feeling,' she kissed Sheldon."

Leonard's mouth dropped open and he looked at Penny and then back to Alfred. "This is just unbelievable," said Leonard. "How do you expect me to believe all this? This sounds nothing like her and don't forget the paper she wrote on how she and you only had sex to consummate the marriage and to have kids."

At that Alfred began laughing loudly.