Chapter 1

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Penny, looking around the room, hoping someone had an idea. She looked over at Leonard. But he wasn't listening. All he could think right now was how they got here. He was still trying to process everything that had happened. All of them were. But, so far, none of them had succeeded.

Oh, how happy they all were two months ago! How peaceful life was! Yes, there were a few arguments here and there but, at the end of the day, everything was fine. Everyone was happy. Especially Sheldon and Amy. He still remembered it all so clearly, despite of reality's hard efforts to make these memories fade. He still remembered the way they both smiled with so much joy in their eyes. Who would have thought that he would see Sheldon and Amy happily married, and expecting their son? He thought back to the phlegmatic, condescending duo that caused them to flee the apartment all those years ago. Well, they never stopped being phlegmatic and condescending; after all, they never stopped being Sheldon and Amy, but they had both changed so much. They loved each other enough to change for the better.

He still remembered the day he found out Amy was pregnant. Although, he wasn't supposed to find out yet. In all fairness, though, Penny would have probably told him the minute Amy left. God knows, she couldn't keep a regular secret, let alone one like this.

(flashback)

Penny was sitting on the couch, watching tv, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked while closing the tv and walking towards the door.

"Amy" came her best friend's voice from behind the door.

"Hi, Ames! What's up?"

"I need to tell you something"

Penny, a bit puzzled by what Amy had said, motioned her to sit on the couch and said:

"Sure, what is it?"

"Is Leonard here?" said Amy while looking around the room.

"Yeah, he is changing Elliot. Amy, is something wrong? You are scaring me."

"Yes, everything is okay. I just have some news." she said, now whispering and looking in the direction of Elliot's room where Leonard was supposed to be.

"What's the news?" she asked, lowering her voice as she could infer that Amy didn't want Leonard to hear them.

"Do you remember, a few days ago, when I got food poisoning from the university cafeteria?"

"Yeah, you mentioned it while we were eating Thai food and Sheldon spent the next 45 minutes telling us about the possible complications of vomiting and diarrhea. While we were eating." replied Penny, recalling Sheldon's disturbing lecture over dinner.

"Well, it turns out, it might not have been food poisoning after all..." said Amy, still keeping her voice down.

"Then, what wa-" Penny stopped and her eyes widened as she realized what Amy was implying. "Oh my god, Amy, are you sure?"

"I went to the doctor yesterday. I'm pregnant!"

Penny opened her mouth to congratulate her but before she could manage to get the words out, Leonard's voice echoed in the room:

"WHAT?!"

Amy and Penny took a good look around them. Leonard was still in Elliot's room, who must have also heard his father's involuntary exclamation of surprise as he had started crying.

"How thin are these walls?" said Amy with distinguishable annoyance in her voice.

Suddenly, Penny realized how Leonard had heard them. She looked over to the kitchen counter. Yep, there it was, the baby monitor.

"Damn!" she said and pointed to it so Amy could see. It was about then that the crying stopped and Leonard emerged into the living room, still shocked.

"You're pregnant? Like for real? You are not experimenting on us again, right?"

"No, it's true, I'm pregnant. But you need to promise not to tell Sheldon!"

"You haven't told him yet?" said Leonard, now a bit confused.

"I want to but you know how he is... he hates surprises. All of them. Honestly, I'm still not over the initial shock of it all myself. I don't think, I can deal with whatever crazy reaction he's going to have right now."

"Look, I know he has a bit of a, let's say, checkered past but I also know that he loves you. And you know it, too. You need to have faith that his reaction will be positive. But it's up to you. If you want us to keep it a secret, we will." said Penny while smiling at Amy in a comforting way.

"So, can we tell the others? asked Leonard.

His excitement really surprised Penny, who turned to him and said:

"And people say I can't keep a secret!"

"Oh, come on! There is going to be another member of our little family, it's exciting!" said Leonard in an attempt to defend his childlike enthusiasm.

"Well, I'm going to tell Bernadette tonight at girls' night so Howard will probably find out. Which means Raj will find out." said Amy as she let out a sigh.

"See? It's not just you, none of us can keep a secret." joked Leonard as he turned to Penny, to which she responded with a sarcastic laugh.

"Look, as long as you don't tell Sheldon, it's fine." Amy told them firmly. She seemed very anxious about how he was going to react.

"Fine, we won't." Penny reassured her.

"Good. Thank you, guys! I think I'd better go now." sad Amy as she stood up and started walking towards the door.

"Amy, wait!" said Penny while getting up from the couch.

"What?"

"I never congratulated you!" responded Peny and took her bestie in for a hug. "I'm sure you guys are going to be the best parents!"

"Well, second best." said Leonard with a smug smile as he started walking towards them.

Penny looked at him, laughed a little and then, turned to Amy again. "Regardless, that kid is lucky to have you."

"Thank y-" started Amy but got interrupted by the sound of a message notification. "It's Sheldon. He wants me to pick him up from the train store." she said looking at her phone.

"Do you want us to go get him?" offered Penny.

"No, it's okay. I can still drive. Also, I wouldn't want Sheldon to get suspicious. Anyways, bye guys!" she answered in a rush as she didn't want to have to listen to Sheldon complaining about waiting long and then left.

As soon as the door closed, Penny turned to Leonard:

"Wow" she said with an expression that gave away how shocked and, at the same time, happy she was. "They are having a baby, can you believe it?"

"Honestly? No. Part of me still thinks they are experimenting on us." replied Leonard in the same state of incredulity. "Can you imagine Sheldon being a dad?" he continued.

"Not really but I meant what I told Amy. I think they are going to be great parents."

"I think that, too. They might both be, to use the university's preferred term, quirky or, to use my preferred term, nuts but I know they are going to be the best parents they can be." he stopped and they both smiled. "Not better than us, though" he added with the same smug smile as before and then, proceeded to put his hand on Penny's shoulder.

"Of course, not" agreed Penny and leaned in to kiss him but the sound of their crying son interrupted them.

"Sounds like a job for the world's best dad" said Penny and padded him on the back.

"Hey, why me again?" Why can't the world's best mum do it?"

"Because she's going to pour herself a glass of wine to cope with the news." she then, went to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"That seems fair." said Leonard sarcastically while heading for Elliot's room.

(end of flashback)