Richard76310: Yeah, I often let my own experiences flow into things like shopping and meal preparation. I hate shopping, especially before holidays and I enjoy cooking ^^

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that appeared in the show.

Disclaimer2: Using terribleWaitress's characters for Penny's family again, because I'm used to them.


"And this is from us." Albert said, handing Wyatt the wrapped box and Meryl the envelope.

"Aw, you shouldn't have." Meryl smiled and opened the envelope while Wyatt fumbled with the wrapping paper. "What is this?"

"It's a coupon for you and two friends at a local health spa for the complete treatment." Albert explained. "Penny told me you like to do that stuff from time to time."

"Wow, even the gold package." Meryl gasped. "Is there a date attached?"

"No, redeemable at any time. Just call and make an appointment." Albert said.

"Thank you very much." Meryl hugged him and sat back down as Wyatt finally finished unwrapping his gift.

"Okay, it's a bottle." Wyatt chuckled, seeing the wooden case and opening it to reveal what was inside. "Oh my god!"

"What?" Meryl asked.

"Penny told me you like to drink scotch from time to time." Albert told him.

"Yeah but..." Wyatt stammered. "Oh my god!"

"Wyatt, what about this bottle?" Meryl wanted to know.

"This is a bottle of Lalique VI." Wyatt showed her. "It's a sixty-five year old single malt."

"So, it's rare?" Meryl still didn't understand.

"Honey, that bottle sells for something like eighty grand." Wyatt still couldn't believe it himself.

"For real?" Meryl gasped again. "Who buys scotch for that kind of money?"

"Ahem." Albert raised his hand in humor. "I do like to drink something really good from time to time."

"But eighty thousand dollars?" Meryl was as disbelieving as Wyatt. "You can buy several cars for that kind of money."

"What's the point of having money when you don't spend it?" Albert chuckled. "Why would I save up millions and millions of dollars if they stay numbers in a database while I get older. Better to get it circling into the economy."

"That's... a strange notion, at least coming from someone wealthy." Meryl mused.

"Frankly, I don't get why people would want to amass more and more money." Albert said. "Especially those who go into the billions of dollars. What is there to buy with two billion that you can't buy with one?"

"An island?" Meryl joked.

"Yeah." Albert chuckled. "The cheapest island goes for four hundred bucks an acre."

"Wait, really?" Penny looked at him surprised.

"The nicer private islands are usually in the low seven figures, the larger ones maybe somewhere like fifteen million." Albert told them. "I thought about buying one when I retired but even with infrastructure already built on it, you need a boat, a generator for power, or solar panels, gas and going grocery shopping is a pain."

"Your current home is much nicer, albeit colder." Penny grinned.

"I know." Albert winked at her. "Wyatt, enjoy the scotch."

"What?" Wyatt looked up, having stared at the bottle for the entirety of the conversation.

"Honey, did you hear anything we said?"

"Were you talking?" Wyatt looked at them.

"Jeez, put the bottle away and join us." Meryl laughed.

"I don't even know if I should open it." Wyatt sighed. "I want a taste but I'd probably drink it in such low amounts that it might go bad."

"Unless you drink only half a finger's breadth every month, you're fine." Albert said.

"I'm sure there will be some chances to open it."Wyatt nodded and put it into the cabinet. "But we didn't know you were coming, so we didn't get anything for you."

"That's okay." Albert waved them off.

"Um, speaking of expensive things, mom, where did you put the bag with the money?" Penny asked.

"It's under your bed." Meryl replied.

"Is that safe?" Leonard wondered.

"Why wouldn't it?" Meryl shrugged. "The only ones besides you who know about the money are me, Wyatt and Bridget and none of us would simply take any money without asking."

"Okay." Penny smiled.

"Why, do you need it?"

"No, not yet, later though, to buy my first gear."

"Albert, can I talk to you for a second?" Wyatt got up and walked to the kitchen, Albert following him.

"What is it?" Albert asked.

"Listen, you said that Penny might be killed if she fails the training." Wyatt said. "Penny was always active physically in her youth, but school was never her thing. She barely scraped by sometimes."

"And you are worried that she might be killed if she failed the theoretical training?" Albert looked him and Wyatt nodded. "Not to worry, she won't be killed. The person Leonard will take her to doesn't do that, he is of the mindset, if she passed my training, then the rest is just learning and that's something everybody can do."

"I still worry." Wyatt sighed.

"Of course you do, you're her father." Albert nodded. "Leonard and I made a pact that I wouldn't kill her if she failed my training, and he would have taken responsibility for her."

"I mean, I worry what will happen if she passes." Wyatt clarified. "I saw Leonard when he was lying in Penny's bed, bleeding all over the sheets and then I watched my wife pull a piece of shrapnel out of his body."

"Wyatt, don't you think I worry every time Leonard goes on a job?" Albert sighed. "That's what parents do. If Penny were a cop, she could be in dangerous situations every day and I don't doubt you would wish that she had taken a less dangerous job. Hell, in this day and age, being a school teacher or a grocery worker can be lethal."

"Is it wrong for me to think that I should put a dome over her so she can't leave?" Wyatt groaned, leaning over the table.

"Wyatt, trust me on this." Albert said, putting his hand on the other man's shoulder. "We're giving Penny the best training and equipment that there is to prepare her for the profession she has chosen. Yes, it's a risky job but she will have the best ways available to come home safely at the end of the day."

"I wanted to ask you something else, while you are here." Wyatt said, looking around if Penny was listening in. "I know that Penny and your son are a couple now but how deep is that going?"

"They're pretty close." Albert said. "Why do you worry?"

"Penny told us what had happened to her in Los Angeles." Wyatt told him. "And I'm afraid that he could break her heart for good."

"Wyatt, you can believe me or not, but my son loves your daughter, even if he's still reflexively denying himself the notion. And I think you have seen that Penny loves my boy. And Leonard would never knowingly break her heart, he's not that kind of person."

"I hope you're right." Wyatt nodded. "I couldn't stand the idea of Penny experiencing even more bad things after what she's been through. Though I have to say, she looks better and fitter than ever."

"I did train her very hard." Albert smiled. "And being with Leonard will make her continue her training."

"I have seen him coming back from his run." Wyatt agreed. "I must say, I didn't expect him to have such a strange sleep regimen."

"He didn't get that from me." Albert chuckled. "I could never work well with only four hours of sleep per night. I mean, I have spent my share of nights with little or no sleep but only four hours every night? Not possible for me, especially at my age."

"Can I ask, when did you retire?" Wyatt wondered. "I mean, what is retiring age for people like you and Leonard?"

"It depends on the person." Albert shrugged. "Money wise, I could have retired in my late forties. Leonard could retire today and never worry about money unless she spends it like crazy and he's in his mid thirties. I know of some colleagues who were still active until their seventies."

"What can someone that old achieve in a profession like yours?"

"You need to stop imagining us going like Rambo through scores of armed enemies." Albert explained. "If some bad guy gets killed with poison, who would suspect a seventy year old grandmother as the culprit."

"I guess you're right." Wyatt had to admit.

"Most of the jobs people like me take are done with thorough strategy and a minimum of effort." Albert continued. "The reason Leonard is considered one of the best in the business is because most of his jobs end with nobody even suspecting that the death of his target was an assassination."

"His scars suggest otherwise." Wyatt pointed out.

"Most of them are from the day those two gunmen killed my family." Albert said quietly. "Leonard wasn't lying when he told your family that he died twice on the operating table. They had to dig twenty-nine bullets out of his body."

"Jesus Christ!" Wyatt cursed. "Wait, what gunmen?"

"Right." Albert realized that Wyatt didn't know the real story. "I did tell you that they died due to something that I did for the government and which came back to me."

"You did, yes." Wyatt nodded. "So that thing caused two gunmen to mow down your family?"

"Yes." Albert nodded as well. "The man that I did the thing to found out who I was and he sent two men to kill me. We were having a family dinner at the time and some friends were also there. Only me and Leonard survived that day."

"I don't know what I'd do if I had been in your shoes." it was Wyatt's turn to say something quietly.

"You'd most likely want revenge, especially after learning who was responsible." Albert guessed. "The question would be, would you have the skills to do it."

"And you did." Wyatt stated.

"Yes." Albert confirmed. "It took me a while to find out who was responsible, and I used that time to train Leonard because he wanted to take revenge as well."

"So, why did you train him?"

"For the same reason he brought Penny to me." Albert pointed out. "He would have gone without training if I hadn't and most likely gotten himself killed in the process."

"I don't think I will ever fully accept what she's about to do." Wyatt admitted. "Also, what if she gets caught by law enforcement?"

"That can happen of course to the really sloppy ones." Albert agreed. "But the upper echelons of law enforcement, like police captains and people in the DOJ and DHS and above know about us and what we do."

"Wait, they just let you kill others?"

"As long as no innocent civilians are killed, they let us be." Albert clarified. "Also, if too many things get destroyed, we can be charged with vandalism or destruction of public property. And we also sometimes have to impersonate law enforcement officers to get information. We can't simply walk into a police precinct and demand information from the captain about potential targets."

"I have trouble wrapping my head around how deep this goes." Wyatt groaned.

"It's not that far fetched though." Albert shrugged. "Assassins have existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. And people in power and governments have made use of them, especially when they want someone taken out while retaining complete deniability."

"What was the highest ranking person you have ever taken out?" Wyatt asked.

"A cabinet official." Albert replied. "But don't ask of which country, I am not at liberty to say."

"I think the less I know, the better." Wyatt chuckled.

"Honey, I'm heading to bed." Meryl interrupted them. "Don't stay up too long."

"I'll join you shortly." Wyatt nodded.

"Do you usually go to bed this early?" Albert asked. "It's barely ten yet."

"Given that I have to get up before dawn to take care of the animals, yeah." Wyatt nodded. "During the spring and until harvest season, I have to get up even earlier to take care of the animals before I head out to the fields."

"Is what you do a profitable business?"

"We get by." Wyatt sighed. "We are at the mercy of mother nature, after all."

"Well, if you ever need help, financially, just give me a call." Albert offered.

"You would do that?" Wyatt was surprised.

"Looking at our children, I'd say we're practically family." Albert chuckled.

"Okay then." Wyatt smiled. "I'm heading to bed now though."

"Sleep well." Albert nodded and rejoined his son and Penny, who were cuddling on the couch and watching TV, Penny being prone with her head on Leonard's thigh, while Leonard gently ran his hand over her head.

"Had a good talk?" Leonard asked, the two dogs perking up at Albert's return but putting their heads back down when realizing who had entered the room.

"Yes, actually." Albert confirmed. "About you guys, actually."

"Let me guess, dad asked you about what I chose to do?" Penny wanted to know.

"Yes. I told him that worrying is normal for parents, since I do it all the time when Leonard goes on a mission." Albert told them. "Hopefully I was able to alleviate some of his concerns."

"What was his issue?" Leonard asked.

"He was remarking about your scars and was afraid that Penny would look like that at some point."

"Did you tell him how I got most of them?"

"Yes." Albert nodded. "By the way, I will return home after Christmas."

"Not staying for New Years?" Penny lifted her head from Leonard's leg.

"No, I was never really interested in celebrating New Years." Albert shook his head.

"That's true." Leonard confirmed to her.

"And don't worry, I feel a lot better than I did at the cemetery." Albert smiled. "I'll reserve a ticket back later tonight."

"You are welcome to stay." Penny said.

"Thanks, but I think I should start slowly with this socializing." Albert chuckled. "It's really a bit much."

"But to sit around alone on New Years..." Penny mused.

"Who says I'm going to be alone?" Albert looked at her. "I usually get together with Alfred, Randall and his wife to play cards and have a toast on midnight."

Accepting that, Penny put her head back down and focused back on the television, having missed the last few minutes but not caring. Her thoughts went from the plot to where her head was to where she would be in a few weeks when she was back in training with that new trainer Leonard would take her to. She felt saddened that Leonard would again leave her but at a deeper level, she understood.

No matter where they stood in their relationship, she couldn't ask him to stay with her for however long she would be in Pasadena and put his life on hold. Even if she would miss him. And the dogs. But she also wondered what kind of jobs he would take in L.A. if he were to stay, since she doubted he would stick to just training.

"Well, I'm off to bed too." Albert proclaimed, getting up.

"Already?" Penny asked.

"It's after eleven." Albert pointed out. "You kids sleep well."

"Good night, dad." Leonard said.

"I think I'll turn in as well." Penny said as she sat up and stretched herself.

"I'll join you." Leonard nodded and got up, his dogs both getting up as well.

"Really?" she was surprised. "It's not midnight yet."

"As I said before, I'm not bound by some rule to go to bed only at midnight." he chuckled.

"Alright." she grinned and walked upstairs, Tyson barreling past her to stay at her side. "You know, I find it sweet how he's always staying at my side."

"He likes you." he shrugged. "Like I told you, Malinois bond only to one person fully."

"I'm gonna go freshen up." she smiled and walked to the en-suite, Tyson again behind her. "Alone, this time." she added to the dog, the canine giving an insulted hum before turning away and lying down against her couch.

Leonard used the main bathroom to wash up himself and brush his teeth. When he returned into the room, Penny was still in the en-suite, so he pulled back the covers on her bed and got in, browsing his phone for a bit, checking the contract board by habit. He saw several interesting, yet not taken jobs on offer and made a mental note for some to check if they are still there once he dropped Penny off in Pasadena.

"What are you looking at?" she asked upon returning, wearing one of his dress shirts with only the middle button fastened.

"Jobs board." he told her. "Seeing if something interesting is on there."

"You mean something that pays well?"

"Same thing." he winked at her.

"Can you show me how this board looks?" she asked, flopping down next to him and trying to look at the screen.

"Look." he showed her. "This is the listing of the open jobs. If I enter one, I see the available details and I can then choose to accept it. If it's a closed contract, the listing disappears from the board. If it's an open contract, it stays there."

"With those open contracts, does it show if someone has already accepted it and, if someone has, how many have accepted that contract?" she asked.

"No names are listed but it does say how many have accepted the contract." he told her. "In my view, that's a bad thing because it tends to make people rush to fulfill it, which can lead to sloppiness."

"But if nobody knows how many others have taken it, they could think might miss it if they don't hurry up, right?"

"True." he had to admit. "Never looked at it that way. So yeah, open contracts are bad all around when they are accepted by people who can't accept that they lost the race, so to speak, if someone else beats them to the target."

"Who decides if a contract is open or closed?"

"The person who posts it." he said. "After the people from our organization have contacted the people who'd like to see someone killed, either literally or in reputation, they get asked if they want the contract open or closed. Those who know about our organization and post themselves via proxies, they decide right away."

"This is also stuff I'll learn in the new year?" she asked.

"Yes." he confirmed.

"You know it's weird, on one hand I can't wait to start the training, like kids before their very first day in school and on the other I dread to go back to school, a place I was never really good at."

"Don't worry, he won't set you up to fail." Leonard calmed her. "He will treat you in a way that you will perceive as badly but that's the way he is."

"How?"

"You'll see." he chuckled. "Most important is to not take it personally."

"Well, I'll see if I can do that." she grinned and took the phone, placing it on the nightstand. "Now turn off the light."

"Yes, dear." he gave a theatrical pout and switched off the nightstand lamp, letting his other hand run down her back, past the edge of the shirt. "No bottoms?"

"No." she giggled. "Wanted to be prepared."

"Prepared?" he turned his head to look at the silhouette of hers but then Penny rolled on top of him, straddling his body.

"For this." she breathed against his lips before kissing him.

"I see." he chuckled.

"I found it annoying whenever I had to stand up again just to get my bottoms off when we do it." she shrugged and pushed his shorts down.

She used both her hand and folds to rub over his manhood, feeling it harden under her and as soon as it was hard enough, she guided it inside her, then sat up to fully push it into her. She opened the one button and pushed her shirt off, Leonard's hands moving against her breasts, which to him were only shapes in the dim light of the moon reflecting from the snow coming through the window.

She moaned when he gently pinched her nipples, her hips slowly moving back and forth. Before him, Penny never really knew that this was the type of sex she wanted in a relationship, Kurt having only done her fast, her high school partners never really knowing how to properly pleasure her and her clients never interested anyway in making her feel good.

Not Leonard though. From his body language during sex, she could feel that he very much enjoyed when she took charge, though that had come at a surprise to her at first, given how strictly regimented his life was by his own design. One she had told him to not just make her decide, she had expected him to take control even after he initiated but more often than not, after getting her up and running, so to speak, he just leaned back and enjoyed the ride.

This time was no different. Even though she had initiated, she could feel from his demeanor and relaxed state that he had currently no desire to change the position soon, rather simply enjoying the feeling of what she was doing. Which was fine by her, given that when he took charge, she had moments of flashbacks to her clients taking what they wanted from her.

Since her sister wasn't in the neighboring room, Penny increased her range of motion, which made her bed springs squeak in protest. She knew that her dad was a heavy sleeper and her mom, unlike Bridget, would never say anything about it, only give her knowing looks to embarrass her. Suddenly, Leonard pulled her down, his lips pressing against hers and Penny opened her mouth to let his tongue in while his hands went to her ass to steer her movements.

The sudden change in position ruined her rhythm for a moment but Penny quickly got it back, her movements becoming more bouncy than grinding. With some surprise, she already felt a climax coming on, which was surprising given that they had done it the night before too. When it hit, she slammed down on him, her right hand squeezing his mouth together, making him look like a fish while her hips slammed down again and again as she rode the wave of pleasure.

"You came?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes." she hummed.

"Good." he chuckled and grabbed around her before turning them around.

He slung his arms under her shoulders and his hands pushed against them as he thrust into her. For someone who, by his own admission, didn't have sex for years before meeting her, he had gotten used to it quickly, his movements feeling as if he had made them just for her. His thrusts were extensive, moving back to where he almost slipped out of her before pushing back in completely.

It was Penny's turn to simply enjoy it, her only job being holding her legs apart. Her arms were slung around his shoulder and back, pressing him against her while she continued kissing him, never letting his face move away. In this moment, she never wanted him to separate from her again, wanting to feel this closeness forever. Apart from the pleasure, she felt completely and utterly secure, as if anyone who would try to hurt her in this particular moment would face a very painful death as a result of an interruption.

Not that she needed the protection after what she learned.

She felt Leonard speed up as well and knew that he was chasing his own climax now. Penny pushed her legs apart even further, allowing him to enter her as deep as he desired and put her hands on his butt to pull his thrusts against her even further. Just as she began shaking with another orgasm, Leonard did as well, groaning loudly as he came, Penny feeling him unload into her.

After a minute or two of coming down from the high, Penny gently pushed him into the side, telling him to roll off of her so she could get up. After cleaning herself up, she put the shirt back on and laid back down, turning onto her side so he could spoon her. The whole thing was done without speaking a word and Penny closed her eyes in content, feeling his warmth suffuse her as she fell asleep.


Chapter ends here. Don't worry, the Omaha trip will soon be over ^^

Review please :)