Penny woke up early, not for a good reason etiher, no, she had to pee. And she hated it, it was getting colder during the mornings and she would have to leave the warmth of the bed and of Sheldon below her.
Ever since that Friday night a month ago they had made it a habit for Penny to spend the night in Sheldon's bed during the weekends. Because Penny loved Sheldon but being woken up at 5 AM was not fun.
That's why having to get up at…she looks at Sheldon's alarm clock, 4:43 AM. 'Oh Man.' Penny groans into the pajama clad chest she's using as a pillow. She hates waking up early, she had to do it for the farm and she wasn't a fan of it back then either.
Penny tries to get up but Sheldon's hand on her ass tightens for a moment before relaxing and she stays a little bit longer, enjoying the warmth of his body and his scent. Sheldon used the same fabric softener that his mom used to buy, which apparently he had a hard time finding in California. It wasn't until he visited a Mexican bodega that he found it again and has been purchasing in bulk ever since. It was called Suavitel and apparently it was a Mexican brand. He liked the soft scent and that it didn't irritate his skin. Penny had switched from Downy to his fabric softener and she had told Sheldon it was just to make things easier during laundry but the truth was, that it made her think of him whenever she got a whiff of the scent throughout her day.
The pressure in her bladder stops her train of thought and she finally gives in, getting up she quickly moves to the bathroom. Does her business quickly and washes her hands which only makes her feel colder.
The apartment is silent and Penny is hit with a sudden wave of…Nostalgia? No. Longing, yeah, that sounds right. It's almost November and her life has been great and so different from where she was 2 years ago, she's scared that this whole thing is a dream.
Diving back into Sheldon's bed and feeling his chest and breathing breaks her away from that line of thought.
This is real.
Sheldon starts making plans for their trip to Texas for Christmas. They will leave on the 17th once all her finals are done and this time they'll stay until January 4th, she's surprised that this time the bedroom arrangements are different as well.
"What do you mean we're staying with Meemaw?"
"Apparently Missy met a young man that she wishes to introduce to the family." Sheldon looks far too calm. "For that reason she will use my room and her-I suppose we should call him 'boyfriend'-her boyfriend will stay in her room. Mother doesn't trust Missy and wishes to keep her close."
"And you're okay with that Honey? I know you don't like people being in your room."
"Yes, as I mentioned before, that room in Galveston was never really 'my' room" He did the air quotes. "There are no valuables there for me to worry about." Sheldon pauses thoughtfully for a moment. "And I would be lying if I said I don't want to spend more time with my Meemaw."
"Awww Honey. That's cute." Penny goes up to hug him. "Are we getting rooms across from each other?"
Sheldon has been getting better at hugging and Penny enjoys it immensely.
"No. Meemaw only has 1 guest room." Penny freezes, he wouldn't.
"Honey?"
"Yes?"
"Does Meemaw know that we're living together?"
"Yes, I've informed her." One down.
"How about Missy?"
"I have mentioned it during our calls." Two down.
"And your mother?" Penny holds her breath.
"I am unaware. I suppose Meemaw or Missy could have told her." Sheldon sounds uncaring.
Penny exhales loudly.
"Penny? While I usually enjoy your hugs, the current pressure you're applying is slightly uncomfortable."
"..."
"Penny?" He squeaks.
"I think I need to finally show you what Junior Rodeo is, Moonpie."
Finals suck ass. That is all.
Flying alongside Sheldon was a new experience for Penny.
He didn't make things easy and Penny was about to snap at him because he had been adapting to change so well so far, so she wasn't sure where this extra-neurotic Sheldon was coming from. He only acted like this when…
Oh, Sheldon was scared.
Seeing things from that perspective made it easier for her to deal with his requests. Holding his hand during the flight is not a chore and it makes him able to even nap for a bit. And before long they're landing in Texas.
Sheldon called a rental service ahead of time so they take an overpriced taxi to the car rental place and 30 mins later they're driving away. Sheldon had just obtained his full fledged driver's license so he's the one that's driving them.
They get a Nissan Pathfinder so while not a full truck they still fit in with the rest of the cars on the road. Penny thought that Sheldon would pick a Sedan but when she asked for the reason behind his choice he had simply said "It's Texas. Trucks are non-negotiable." And if that made sense to him, then it made sense for her.
The drive itself is calm, Penny is tired from having to wake up so early for their flight but Sheldon could not be moved. Not even a very enthusiastic blowjob had made him change his mind so Penny had to wake up at 4 AM to go to the airport.
Seeing the landscape passing by made Penny relax into the seat, it would take another 30 minutes before they were even close to Galveston. She took the time to enjoy the Texas view as well as enjoying the sight of Sheldon driving, he looked confident now behind the wheel and it made her want to finally take that final step with him.
They still haven't had sex. For now they were having fun with touching and using their mouths on each other, those weekends when she stayed in his room were her favorite. They would not fool around right away because Sheldon needed to take a shower first, but he didn't mind if she joined him during his shower, which made it so Penny was much less frustrated during the exam season.
Kelly had also become a great friend, they had lunch together most days and she had even met Fred, her boyfriend, once. He was a tall and lanky redhead that reminded Penny of Conan O'Brien. He was head over heels in love with Kelly and yeah, they were pretty cute together.
She had also stayed in touch with Tamika, unfortunately not as often as she would have liked but they still emailed each other weekly. Apparently Kurt had been allowed to return last fall with his credits still counting and hearing that made Penny glad she was not there, she would have decked the SOB.
Next thing she knows Sheldon is shaking her awake.
"Penny. We've arrived."
Penny squints and looks around her, Sheldon had parked on the street and not in the driveway. The park in front of Meemaw's house had children playing.
"Thank you Honey." A yawn escapes her. "Let's go say hi to your mom first."
Sheldon simply nods and yawns as well. Flying coach tired even the great Sheldon Cooper.
Penny gets out of the truck and checks that the keys haven't been left in the ignition, Sheldon hadn't quite mastered not to do that even with his eidetic memory. Sheldon notices her looking and simply shows her the keys before slipping them into the pocket of his jacket. She simply smiles at him.
Penny takes a hold of his arm as they walk to Mrs. Cooper house.
"Do you think your mom has cereal? I could go for something to eat."
"If I know my mother, she must have a full lunch ready for us."
"Nice." Penny says and because she feels like it and she can, she nuzzles into his side. Sheldon never responds, but she looks up at him and sees the full smile on his face, his baby koalas smile.
Sheldon tries the front door but it's locked, before Sheldon can start his knocking routine Penny simply rings the bell.
A moment passes before Missy is opening the door. She looks amazing and Penny feels that she somehow got taller and more statuesque. Penny hates Missy for a moment before launching herself at the Amazonian and hugging the stuffing out of her.
"Hi Missy, I missed you." She says into Missy's dress.
"Hi Penny, darlin', I missed you as well." Penny can hear the smile in Missy's voice and it makes her smile as well.
"Hello Missy." Sheldon's tone is dry but Penny can hear the affection he tries to hide from everyone else.
"Hiya Shelly." Sheldon's eyebrow twitches and Penny grabs a hold of him before he can start ranting about grammar.
"C'mon Moonpie, you promised me lunch." She drags him into the kitchen and sure enough, Mrs. Cooper is cooking up a storm.
"Penny, darlin'," She gives Penny a quick but fierce hug and moves to Sheldon to do the same "Good to see you both." She goes back to the stove.
"Smells wonderful Mrs. Copper." Penny grabs a cup and moves towards the coffee pot.
"None of that Mrs. Cooper. You can call me Mary darlin'." Penny smiles at Mrs. Cooper but doesn't reply, it feels daunting to just call her Mary.
"Mother, where is Meemaw?" Sheldon always has his priorities straight.
"She's smoking in the yard. Go fetch her Shelly, now that you're here we'll have lunch."
Sheldon moves to the backyard in search of his beloved grandmother. It gives Penny time to gossip with Missy, who also has her own cup of coffee.
"Sheldon told me you're bringing a 'young man' to introduce to the family." Penny takes a sip of her cup and forces herself to patiently wait for the food.
Mrs. Cooper snorts in a very unladylike manner but doesn't actually say anything.
Missy sighs and Penny immediately knows that this young man has been a topic of conversation around their table.
"Yes, yes, yes." It's uncanny how very Sheldon-like Missy can sound. "We know momma, you don't approve."
"I haven't said nothin' " Mrs. Cooper can act coy.
"Anyway, yes Penny. He's coming in on the 21st and staying until the 26th." Missy looks excited despite Mrs. Cooper indirect disapproval.
Mrs. Cooper has her back to them so Penny tries to whisper "Why doesn't your mom approve?" She hopes it low enough.
"Momma is upset because Jonah is a Catholic." Missy answers in a low voice as well.
"I'm not upset." Mrs. Cooper claims as she beats the heck out of the eggs in the pan. "I'm simply worried about the poor boy's soul."
Missy rolls her eyes and Penny decides to stay out of it. No need to let Mrs. Cooper know that Penny's last visit to church was…huh, well, it was a while ago.
Sheldon finally returns with Meemaw and Penny gives the older woman a huge hug which is reciprocated with as much force.
Breakfast is amazing. Mrs. Cooper can cook, but Penny will need to work out a little extra after she goes back home.
Everyone is at the table and Penny hates to do this but better sooner than later. She grabs Sheldon's hand under the table and points with her head to his mother. Sheldon simply looks back confused.
She mouths 'Tell her' but Sheldon still looks confused and she's about to try again when the silence around the table brings her up short. She can already feel something settling in her stomach and it's not the eggs.
Missy and Meemaw are smirking but Mrs. Cooper is pale as a ghost. The feeling gets worse. 'Oh no.'
"Mother. I have something important to tell you." Because life is never fair, it seems that Sheldon finally got it, but Penny still has a bad feeling about this whole situation.
Mrs. Cooper pales even further "Oh Snickerdoodle. You're going to be a daddy." She somehow manages to sound both distressed and delighted at the same time.
Offuckingcourse.
"WHAT?!" Missy and Meemaw are freaking out. Penny turns to look at Sheldon and he just looks confused by the whole thing but he also doesn't look like he's about to correct his mother.
"NO! People, I'm not pregnant!" Penny stands up and makes sure her voice is clear. "No Mini-Coopers here. Stop freaking out." Penny is freaking out because this entire thing derailed super quickly.
"Aw" Strangely enough the one to voice her disappointment so clearly is Mrs. Cooper herself and Penny just presses the bridge of her nose. 'This is your new family Penny.'
"Moonpie, don't let go of this one. I really like her." Meemaw is already laughing about the entire thing.
"Don't worry Meemaw, I don't intend to." Okay, that was super sweet but not the right time for it. "No, mother, I was not announcing Penny's pregnancy." Sheldon is back on topic. "I simply wanted to inform you that Penny has transferred to UCLA and is currently living with me."
"Oh. Your Meemaw had already told me that." Mrs. Cooper looks nonplussed by what Penny had assumed would be a bombshell.
"Yeah Moonpie, your mother knew right away, I knew she would need time to adapt to the idea."
The look Sheldon gave her made Penny understand that Sheldon understood the concept of 'I told you so'.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go unpack Moonpie, we need a nap." Penny says it without thinking and cringes before looking back at Mrs. Cooper but the woman is doing her best to pretend she didn't hear it.
Whatever worked for her, worked for Penny as well.
Leading Sheldon by the hand they went back to the truck for their stuff.
As soon as they were out the door, Penny took a hold of Sheldon't arm as they walked toward the truck, she took advantage of her position and started pinching his ribs.
"You little shit. You knew your Meemaw would tell your mom."
"Penny! I bruise easily, stop it." Sheldon tried to evade her but Penny was undeterred.
"It was so embarrassing Sheldon." Penny stopped messing with him and buried herself in his jacket "I was so scared that your mom would hate me." Her voice is muffled but he has Vulcan hearing.
"That's ridiculous Penny! My mother appreciates your presence and she would not have invited you here if she hated you."
"No Moonpie, I know your mom likes me…but, you know, things are different now. We're in a relationship and living together and your mom, well, she can be a little intense with the church stuff."
"I'd say. Were you aware that after the entire town found out about my father cheating on her she still went to church that next Sunday? She had to endure the stares of all those people."
Penny hears something in his voice and turns away from the comfort of his jacket to look up at him. "Is that why you moved your mom back to Galveston?"
Sheldon frowns and his mouth twitches a little but he sighs and nods. "Otherwise she would have stayed there suffering the same thing over and over, week after week."
"Aw Moonpie, that's cute." Penny hides her face again in his jacket, Meemaw was right, he had a huge heart. People just failed to see it.
"Penny. The children are watching."
Penny turned to look at him again and noticed that he was looking across the street. Sure enough, a group of 5 boys and 1 girl were watching them intently from the park. None of them must have been older than ten.
"Kiss already!" One of the boys shouted.
"With tongue!" The only girl added after a moment.
"Yikes. Let's go take that nap Moonpie." Penny dragged Sheldon back to the truck as the children groaned and booed. They scattered back to keep playing.
"Penny, should I bring this bag inside as well or do you prefer we keep it in the truck?" Sheldon hefted a large bag that contained all the presents she got for Sheldon's family.
"Oh! Let's bring it inside, the last thing we need is for someone to take it."
Meemaw's house was comfy and smelled like cigarette smoke. Sheldon, her wonderful boyfriend that complained about cigarette smell at every restaurant they went to, said nothing.
The guest room was plenty big, Penny had been worried that the bed would be a single but it was a Queen. She loved spending the night with Sheldon but almost three weeks sleeping in a single, sounded like a bad idea all around.
"C'mon Sheldon, I'm tired." Penny removes her shoes and lies on top of the bed, motions for Sheldon to join her, the yawn it's unintended but it highlights how tired she is.
"Just a moment Penny." Sheldon is fiddling with the alarm clock next to the bed but after a moment he also removes his shoes and lies next to her.
Penny is tired but she's also a cuddler so she drags her sleepy ass over to Sheldon and uses the crook of his arm to settle in for a nap. They didn't even remove their jackets but she's comfortable and doesn't want to move anymore.
"G'night Moonpie." Another yawn almost interrupts her.
"Goodnight Penny." Sheldon's arm goes around her side and Penny knows nothing more.
The alarm clock is hell and wakes them up. Penny is now on her own side of the bed and she can feel sweat cover her sides, sleeping with a jacket on wasn't her greatest idea but she had been dead tired.
Opening one eye she looks at the alarm clock and it's a little past five in the afternoon.
Sheldon looks like she feels but he's actually getting up from the bed without complaining and looks down at her still lying on the bed. Penny raises her arms and opens and closes her hands in her best 'I'm baby, pick me up' impression. Sheldon laughs his breathy little laugh and helps her up.
"Ugh, I'm still tired."
"I must agree with that sentiment."
"Early dinner and we go to bed?"
"Agreed."
They move downstairs where Meemaw is watching TV, horse racing of all things.
"Hiya Moonpie, Girlie." At least she's not smoking.
"Hi Meemaw." Penny takes a seat next to her on the couch and like it's the most natural thing in the world, Meemaw opens her arm and Penny leans against her side and closes her eyes. It felt good.
"Shelly, your mom has a church thing tonight and she's taking Missy with her. So it's just us for dinner."
Sheldon nods and takes a seat next to Penny. "We were discussing having an early dinner. Penny and I are still quite tired."
"Sounds like a plan Moonpie."
Penny has to get up from her comfy position because she was about to doze off, rubbing her eyes and yawning makes Meemaw chuckle for some reason.
"Alright kiddos, my treat. Ya drive and I pay for dinner."
"Meemaw, we couldn't-" Meemaw is having none of it.
"Moonpie, are ya sassing me?" Sheldon is most likely missing the teasing in her voice.
"No Meemaw."
"C'mon, let's go. Penny darlin' what are ya in the mood for?" Meemaw slaps Penny's knee lightly.
Penny hums thinking it over "Seafood any good?" She could go for some crab cakes.
"Ohhhh nice choice Girlie, there's this place that has a great Po'boy and Beignets." Meemaw is already moving to the door only to double back to get her purse.
Penny laughs a little, Meemaw has more energy than Sheldon and Penny together. She takes hold of Sheldon's arm and starts following Meemaw. "C'mon Moonpie, let's go. I'm already hungry again."
"Penny, what if the restaurant is dirty?" Some anxiety in his voice.
"I'll scope the place first, excuse myself to go to the restroom and peek in the kitchen, make sure they have their cleaning schedule posted and everything. Meanwhile you check the table, cutlery and all that jazz" Penny pats his arm.
Sheldon could be a little particular about where to eat. He would usually visit a place first take a look at how clean it was before deciding to stay to eat or bailing out. But he trusted Penny, she worked as a waitress enough to spot how truly clean a place was and yeah, ever since meeting Sheldon she was definitely more careful about where she ate. Except McDonald's, you can pry the breakfast burrito out of her dead, cold hands before she stops visiting.
"Thank you penny. That would be acceptable." Sheldon smiles at her and a little flutter of something in her stomach makes her go up to kiss him. She's scared that he won't kiss her back since they haven't brushed their teeth but Sheldon does, it's chaste and quick. Penny is smiling at him as they separate.
"But you're driving."
Sheldon groans "If I must."
Meemaw is already waiting for them near the truck, she throws the house keys at Penny. "Lock the door Girlie please." Penny makes sure the house is locked and returns the keys to Meemaw. "Thank ya Girlie. Now let's go People!"
Meemaw jumps into the passenger seat of the truck. Penny climbs into the back and Sheldon is the last one to get in.
"Now Girlie, I'll give ya the directions, it's pretty close by." Meemaw is looking for something in her purse, it's starting to get dark out so she's having issues. "For now, just back out and drive to the right, just around the corner, we're going straight into 19th street until ya hit the beach and then another right and ya can't miss it."
Sheldon starts driving following Meemaw's directions. All of that time practicing worked wonders, while still a little paranoid on the road, Sheldon was a perfectly normal-speed driver.
"Where did I leave that gosh damn lip balm." Meemaw still had no luck with her purse.
"Here Meemaw." Penny extended her hand.
"Thank ya darli-" Meemaw froze while handing Penny the purse. Her eyes were locked on Penny sitting in the back.
"Meemaw?" Penny didn't want to freak out but the older woman was not moving.
"Girlie." Meemaw's voice was a harsh whisper. "Who's driving?"
"Umm Sheldon?" Penny didn't see the reason for Meemaw's sudden attitude change. "Are you okay Meemaw?"
"Moonpie?"
"Yes Meemaw?" Sheldon was none the wiser about the freak out happening inches away.
"When did ya learn to drive?" Meemaw still looked anxious but she was trying to keep it cool.
"When Penny moved in. Due to our conflicting schedules, it would have been impossible for her to drive me around."
"Improbable." Penny mutters and she just knows that Sheldon wants to turn and give her a look but he won't take his eyes off the road.
Sheldon keeps going "Because of that, Penny took it upon herself to teach me and allowed me to practice under her supervision. Penny is a very effective teacher." He failed to mention that he had actually bought his own car the moment he had gotten his full permit.
"Is she now?" Meemaw is no longer freaking out, instead looks pensive.
In the time it took for Sheldon to explain his new abilities, Penny was able to locate the lip balm and she handed it over to Meemaw alongside her purse.
"Penny." So far Meemaw had only used 'Girlie' to refer to her, and Penny liked it. Meemaw was the grandma she never had. So this sudden serious tone and Meemaw using her name makes Penny nervous.
"Yes Meemaw?"
Meemaw turns in her seat and holds Penny's hand tightly, looks her in the eye and even in the darkened interior Penny can see her eyes are bright. "Ya take care of him, ya hear me?"
There's an intensity in her voice that scares Penny. Not scared because she basically just gave them her blessing, but because it sounds like a goodbye and yeah Penny is reading too much into it but her throat closes and her eyes sting. Penny doesn't want to lose Meemaw.
Penny can only nod and give her a watery smile. Meemaw returns her smile and turns back to look at Sheldon again. She's looking at him differently, she looks proud but also…content, like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
"I'm proud of ya Moonpie."
"Thank you Meemaw." Sheldon is unsure of why he was suddenly praised but he still smiles happily.
The Diner is all functional, not one of those fancy restaurants. For some reason the sign at the front says 'Welcome Jeep People'.
Thankfully the place is clean and even Sheldon approves of the cutlery.
Meemaw seems to be a regular here, or at least she seems to know all the waitresses and the guy behind the bar.
The shrimp Po'boy is amazing as promised, Sheldon's shrimp and grits also get praise and Meemaw devours her Gumbo.
Dinner goes by quickly and soon they're back at Meemaw's.
"Go to bed, kids. It's too early for me but y'all been traveling and need the extra shut eye."
They say goodnight and move upstairs. While Sheldon is using the bathroom for his night routine, shower included, Penny grabs the bags containing gifts and moves them to the closet.
A fantastic pair of Jimmy Choo Heels that the boutique had and that thanks to her employee discount she was able to afford. For Missy.
Mrs. Cooper will get a pretty cute but conservative sweater in a wonderful pastel blue. Penny didn't want to risk getting her something she would never wear.
Meemaw was a bit harder to shop for. Sheldon hadn't been too helpful either, according to him the perfect gift would have been a box of bird shot. Instead she got Meemaw a charm bracelet, it had stars with blue and green details. Penny knew it was childish and she might not like it but it just felt right for some reason.
The Final Boss. Moonpie PhD. Penny got stumped for a long while, basically because Sheldon bought himself anything he truly wanted. She had wanted to buy him a camera and boom, he arrived one day with his new Canon EOS 1Ds. After researching what board games he enjoyed she was going to order the English version of 'Prophecy' only to find out he had pre-ordered it months ago. Sheldon buys video games on Day 1. He doesn't use jewelry or accessories. So she did the only thing that was available to her. Ask for a favor.
Kelly once during lunch had said 'Leonard Nimoy often goes to the bar where Fred works at.' For her it had been an offhand comment. Just a fun piece of trivia that no one would think about twice. For Penny it was salvation. It had taken her to agree to introduce Fred to Sheldon but after all was said and done she had a professionally framed A4 piece of paper with 'Live long and prosper my friend. To Sheldon Cooper from Leonard Nimoy. Ps. You have a great girlfriend.'
She was sure that Sheldon was going to love it.
As for Missy's catholic boy, well he wasn't in the plans but still, Penny would go to Walmart or Target and get him a novelty pair of socks or something.
Once Sheldon returns to the room, Penny quickly moves to do her own nightly routine. She debates on not showering but in the end she decides to go for it, feeling a bit grimy.
The queen bed feels amazing, her last thought before drifting off to sleep in Sheldon's arms is that they need to buy one for their apartment.
Waking up that first morning in Meemaw's guest room is heaven. Texas never really gets cold, at least not like Nebraska, but the morning is a bit chilly.
Sheldon is still in bed with her and despite the larger bed she woke up on top of him like back in Pasadena. Squinting her eyes at the alarm clock reveals that it's only 5:55 AM and she lets her head drop back on Sheldon's chest.
"I know you're awake Moonpie." Penny mumbles into Sheldon's pajamas.
"Go back to sleep Penny. The alarm won't sound." Sheldon sounds properly awake.
"Nah. Not sleepy anymore. But we don't really have plans either."
Sheldon hums in thought. "We could always go visit the Railroad Museum." He almost manages the casual tone.
"Yeah, don't think I didn't notice your mom's house just happens to be really close to that particular museum." She had looked into the stuff to do in Galveston and the first thing to pop up was that little fact.
"Just a coincidence. I assure you." Penny doesn't even need to look up at him to know his face is twitching.
"Uh huh, right, just a coincidence." She finally looks up at him and rests her chin on his chest. "How about the Moody Mansion? I heard it's a must."
"Oh! I had wanted to go there."
They make plans in bed as the sun rises higher, neither is in a rush to move.
They talk about their plans, about what his mom will cook for Christmas dinner, Missy and her boyfriend and if Georgie, Mandy and Ceecee will come for Christmas.
"Oh crap! I forgot to buy something for Ceecee." Penny moans.
"Penny. Ceecee will turn eighth soon. I believe she has outgrown Santa Claus." Sheldon never failed to be a Grinch.
"Nah Moonpie. We gotta make a mall run to find something for her." Penny bites her lip in thought. "She was really into videogames last time we saw her, right?"
"You are correct. She had a Pink Game Boy Color and was playing Pokemon Gold. She also requested your assistance with a boss battle in her The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening playthrough. Which you were able to help her clear thanks to my assistance."
"There's a new version of the Game Boy right?"
"Yes. The Game Boy Advance."
Penny bit her lip in thought. "Do you think your brother would be mad if we got her that for Christmas?"
"I…am unsure." Sheldon says slowly and it's only when his brother comes up that he acts like this.
"Hey Moonpie, what happened with your brother? Why do you two walk on eggshells around each other?"
"I don't know." His face is clear of twitching so he's being truthful. "After our father died, he changed."
"Did you two have a fight?" Penny could see that this topic ate at Sheldon, not only because it was something he didn't understand but also because as much as he griped about his family, Sheldon loved all of them.
"Our last conversation was terse but not confrontational."
"Huh, what did you talk about?"
"Georgie asked that before Mother could move to Galveston that her mortgage should be paid first. I agreed to it but that only seemed to upset Georgie more."
"Wait, I feel that I'm missing a lot of context here." Penny was trying to wrap her head around this issue, she was sure that Sheldon had missed something. "You paid for the mortgage in full?" A nod from Sheldon. "Who was making the payments before that?"
"My father was."
"Umm okay Moonpie, help me with the math here. Your dad passed away when you were thirteen or fourteen right?" She waits for him to nod. "And you moved your mom here when you were fifteen or sixteen."
"Sixteen. Correct."
"So that means that for about two years no one was making payments?"
Sheldon blinks in surprise and looks pensive.
"That is not possible, the house would have been seized by the bank…unless Georgie was making the payments."
"Were you making money at the age of thirteen?"
"No. Yes. I had earned some awards but I always allowed my parents to manage it. It wasn't until the age of fifteen that I truly was able to make my own financial decisions."
Penny was taking a shot in the dark.
"Maybe Georgie feels that his efforts in making sure your mom kept the house were not appreciated?"
"I…" It was rare that Sheldon was left speechless, but Penny was not going to intrude in this realization. "I assumed that Meemaw had taken care of the mortgage but, this conversation has brought new information that I believe would make the action of buying Mother a house seem unappreciative of Georgie's effort to not lose our childhood home."
"And I know you're special Honey, but still, it must have been frustrating to see his younger brother pay a mortgage easily and then go buy a house." Penny's voice is soft. Sheldon can be frustrating, he does things without looking at the people around him. And that worked perfectly for him in his job, but in his personal life, it left something to be desired. Penny was used to it and she had her Sheldon translator on all the time so it was easy to understand why he did something, but she also had to put her foot down and tell Sheldon outright why something was not a good idea or even veto some of his plans. Like leashing himself to bus seats.
But Sheldon was more than capable of understanding other people, you just had to guide him a little.
"I believe that I need to speak with Georgie."
They go to his mother's house for breakfast and it's another amazing meal. Mrs Cooper could make a mean pancake.
After breakfast Penny goes with Sheldon to the backyard, they sit on his mom's porch swing and Sheldon calls his brother.
It's slow going, both Sheldon and Georgie are stubborn. It takes them a while to actually start talking about important stuff, Penny lies down and uses Sheldon's leg as a pillow. His accent grows stronger when he's stressed and that call is all Texas.
They manage to clear the air somewhat, it's clear that they will never be the best of friends but maybe they can start being brothers again. Sheldon looks tired but happy after the call ends.
"Georgie says it's fine if we buy Ceecee the Game Boy Advance, but it must be clear that it's from the both of us and that it counts as two gifts. We can get her one game as well, but only one game."
"You did good Moonpie." She smiles up at him still laying in his lap and he smiles back at her.
Sheldon is not perfect, but he's pretty damn great.
Turns out that Meemaw also needs to go to the mall and then Missy also tags along.
Penny wanted to make this into a sort of date but Meemaw and Missy are too much fun and she wishes she could have had this type of relationship with her own family.
"Missy, you take Penny and go buy that boy of yours something that he'll actually wear." Penny had voiced her plan of buying Jonah some funny socks and Missy was all for it. "Moonpie and I will go buy that darn Gamesomething and we'll meet you in front of the Jamba Juice."
Sheldon's face is twitching a little but before Penny can question him Missy is pulling her towards the clothing stores.
They still end up buying Jonah a pair of socks, they're really cute, mostly black with white stars all over it and some yellow sparkles but what made Penny get them is the white and red spaceships that travel around the socks. She does get him a pretty decent sweater that is approved by Missy. The store does gift wrapping so she makes sure the card says it's from both her and Sheldon.
By the time they get to the Jamba Juice both Meemaw and Sheldon each have a cup in their hands. Sheldon is holding a bag and she looks in to make sure he only bought one game, but all she sees is the gift wrapped box, at least the card does say that it's from the both of them.
"The closest color to pink was fuchsia so I bought that one. I also bought her the new Pokemon game." His face twitches "And a new RPG game that has been receiving a lot of praise, it's called Golden Sun and-" Penny simply shakes her head and goes to order a smoothie.
Penny loves the Moody Mansion, especially because she has her own tour guide in Sheldon. Sadly they still have time to visit the Railroad museum…no man should look that excited at the idea of trains.
Jonah shows up and Penny is not sure what she was expecting but the short (he's the same height as her) man is not it. He's handsome and seems to always have a smile plastered on his face and even Sheldon can't help but like the guy.
Jonah is studying to become a pediatrician and he's so in love with Missy. He also has the heaviest Boston accent she's ever heard.
Penny can see Mrs Cooper doing her best to dislike Jonah but even she ends up throwing the towel and by the end of dinner Mrs Cooper has extended him an invitation for next Thanksgiving and Christmas.
That same night, Penny can't sleep once more. Being surrounded by all of these people that became her family makes her think of her family back in Nebraska. She goes to the backyard.
Just like last year there's someone already there but this time is Mrs Cooper.
"Penny, darlin'. Come, come." Mrs Cooper pats the space next to her in the porch swing. She's smoking and the floor at her feet is littered with cigarette butts. Mrs Cooper takes a drag of her lit cigarette as Penny takes a seat. "Don't tell my children about this. It's my one cigarette a year." Penny doesn't refute it.
"I couldn't sleep. I hope I'm not bothering you."
"Nonsense darlin', you're family." Mrs Cooper covers Penny's legs with half the blanket she was using.
"You know…" Penny hesitates for a moment, decides to push through. "I'm really thankful for your son. I really don't know where I would be if it weren't for him." She plays with the blanket, Mrs Cooper has been the only one that Penny has felt some sort of barrier with and she knows it might be just in her head.
"The Lord works in wonderful ways." Mrs Cooper is smiling kindly. "I love my Snickerdoodle but I have to admit that, well, I was afraid he would be alone." It looks like she wants to say more but settles for "I'm glad he found you."
"Me too." The silence is comfortable, the distant waves are a welcome sound. "Umm, I don't know when or how. But I am certain that your boy and I are getting married." Penny turns to look straight at Mrs Cooper. She is as certain of this as she is of the sun coming out tomorrow.
Mrs Cooper takes another long drag and nods slowly "I figured that was the case." A long pause "My Shelly was always special. But that also made him lonely, we loved him but couldn't understand him." another drag "He was always able to pick up things quickly. He plays piano, you know?"
Penny had seen the Yamaha keyboard in the apartment but had never seen Sheldon play it.
"He stopped playing when the woman teaching him called him a robot. 'All technique and no feeling.'" Mrs Cooper laughs but not in amusement. "Should have decked the bitch." Throws the cigarette butt to the floor and lights a new one. "May she rest in peace."
"Most people will never know how big of heart he really has." Penny had already made peace with this fact. More Sheldon for her.
Mrs Cooper nods "You take care of each other now. Don't let anyone get between you."
"Promise."
"This is your home now as well you hear me?"
Penny doesn't respond but she lets her head rest on Mrs Cooper's shoulder.
Texas was home.
The days leading up to Christmas are calm. Penny doesn't want to think about school, because while it was true that it was no longer a pain point for her, it also didn't mean that she had to focus only on it.
Shopping with Missy, Mrs Cooper teaching her to cook and Meemaw's baking lessons fill her days and she knows it's useless to think about what ifs, but Sheldon introduced her to the subject of alternate universes.
Ever since, she's wondered if there's another world where she doesn't meet Sheldon, she hopes that world doesn't exist.
Penny helps a little with Christmas dinner and by that she means that she's staying with Sheldon in Meemaw's house watching movies.
Mrs Cooper is a woman on a mission while cooking and you don't want to get in her way. Missy is out with Jonah and they'll be back in time for dinner…after the church service. Jonah is not the religious type but he knows his presence will cause more issues.
Penny and Sheldon will also not go to church and Penny is glad that Mrs Cooper isn't pushing them. Church doesn't hold a special place in her heart and she's more than happy to skip it. Meemaw will go though, so they only have one mission while everyone else is out of the house.
Keep an eye on the turkey and baste it.
"Remember darlin' every 30 minutes."
"Got it." It was the 6th time she reminded them.
"Now, we'll be back at ten at the latest."
"Yes mother." Even Sheldon was annoyed by this point.
"Mary, leave the kids alone and move! You know I want to sit upfront."
"Mom! That pastor is married and-"
Their voices fade as they leave the house and Penny has to chuckle, Meemaw liked going to church since 'Reverend Yummy Pants' as she called him, became the pastor of their church.
"Is your Meemaw going to be like this when we help her with the brisket?"
Sheldon shakes his head and Penny is relieved for a single second.
"No, she'll be worse."
Of course, she should have known.
"Come here Moonpie, I know a way we can spend 30 minutes." Penny goes up on her toes and kisses Sheldon.
He's gotten better at this sudden kiss thing. He doesn't even hesitate before kissing her back. Penny is the one who deepens the kiss. They've been on their best behavior while in Texas and have been unable to do anything more than kiss chastely.
It was driving her mad.
She had intended for this to just be a couple of kisses and then they could go watch a movie, but now her hands were in his hair and Sheldon was pushing her hips against him and it was kind of getting out of hand.
Penny tries to stop, she really does, but Sheldon bites her lip and she stops using her brain. Somehow she's on the kitchen counter right next to the sink and she knows that they should stop this before they go too far.
She doesn't say anything, she just keeps kissing him.
Penny moans into the kiss when Sheldon's hand makes its way under her shirt, he's just touching her back but there's something great about feeling his hand splay on her back.
'Ah fuck it.' Penny knows that they might regret this but she starts working on unbuckling his belt and Sheldon doesn't protest.
Sheldon's wristwatch rings an alarm and it makes them stop. Both are panting and neither understands why the alarm sounds, until Penny remembers their one task.
"Fuck, the turkey."
Penny tries to shake some of the fog in her mind and like a robot she goes through the motions of basting the turkey while ignoring her brain's comment of 'If only Sheldon basted you like that.'
She can hear Sheldon moving to the living room and it makes her breathe a sigh of both relief and disappointment. It's fine, they were getting too into it anyway.
Turkey safely basted, Penny moves to the living room expecting Sheldon to be watching TV but instead he's just sitting on the couch and watching her. A little shiver goes through her.
'Well, maybe just a little more.'
Penny doesn't even hesitate before straddling him to start making out again. As if they had agreed on it, the kissing this time around is slower, deeper. She loves running her fingers through his hair.
Sheldon's hands are already back on her ass making her moan as he squeezes and fondles her. She's wearing yoga pants, so it's easy for Sheldon to slide them down her hips to leave them under her cheeks as he touches her directly.
Kissing, touching each other and somehow, without Penny really knowing how, they're naked. She's straddling him and his dick is pressed in between them.
Penny breaks the kiss to look down, she runs her hand along his dick making Sheldon groan, his hands still on her ass push her against him harder and perhaps without meaning to, making her lips rub against his length. Penny shivers in delight and anticipation.
"Sheldon…" Her voice trails off, unsure how to ask.
There is more that's supposed to go here, but I don't want this site to nuke my account or story. If you want to read it in full, this story is posted also in AO3 but without the censorship.
"I can't believe that I messed up."
"Calm down darlin' We'll just go watch it tomorrow, the tickets are for the evening anyway. Plenty of time for gifts and family."
Missy had been looking forward to the movie. She always liked Leonardo DiCaprio and rumor was that in 'Catch me if you can' he did a full front nudity scene. No way she was missing that. She was fine with waiting a day but Jonah kept beating himself up. Momma would joke that it's all that Catholic guilt.
Shelly and Penny were in charge of watching the turkey so she knew they were at home.
"We can watch a movie with my brother and Penny." Missy opens the front door and is frozen in place.
"Missy?" She's taller than him so she's covering the view into the house.
"Argh my eyes!" Missy is being dramatic but she doesn't care, she just saw her brother's junk and that's just not right. "We're going to Meemaw's! And fuck's sake, open a window!" She yells behind her and drags a confused Jonah to Meemaw's house.
Looking back on it, Penny is honestly not sure how it got so out of hand.
One moment she and Sheldon are making out on the couch, the next they're both shirtless, a kiss and like magic they're not wearing pants anymore.
She's straddling him and then Sheldon is holding her by the hips while she guides him inside of her.
He soon finds the right angle that makes her go weak and she tries to move but she's close so she lets Sheldon take the wheel. His hands feel huge on her hips, like he can cover her without effort.
Penny can't kiss him anymore, she's so close. Instead she bites his shoulder, hard. She can't help it, she's coming. Sheldon buries his hand in her hair, maybe to pull her off from his shoulder, but his own climax hits and instead he's pulling her closer, trying to make them one being.
They're both panting, exhausted and all fucked out. It was frantic and not as romantic as she thought their first time was going to be, but it was pretty damn fantastic.
Of course that's the moment Missy makes an appearance. Penny can't help but laugh as Sheldon starts freaking out.
"I don't want to move but we have to clean."
"Penny! Missy saw us!" Sheldon was blushing tomato red.
"Yeah, we should have locked the door." Penny is still resting her forehead on his shoulder.
"What if she tells Mother?"
"Relax Moonpie. Trust me, she won't." Penny was getting sleepy and she was not looking forward to having to put back on her panties before cleaning herself up. But all of her clothes were in Meemaw's house.
"How do you know?" Sheldon was too wired for someone that had just had sex for the first time.
"I just know. Now, pass me my panties unless you want to explain to your mom why we had to burn her carpet."
They clean themselves up as best as they can, which is better than nothing. They do open all the windows they can and Penny is able to find a couple of incense sticks that she hopes are enough.
They also baste the turkey again, definitely not within the schedule set by Mrs Cooper but Penny hopes she won't notice.
They're two steps into Meemaw's house when Missy and Jonah start clapping and whistling.
Sheldon is so embarrassed that he doesn't even argue with Missy about the whistling. Penny walks all the way upstairs with her head held high knowing that she's blushing just as much as Sheldon.
Penny showers first and changes clothes, maybe Mrs Cooper won't notice the change. She goes back to Mrs Cooper's kitchen ignoring Missy and Jonah on the way out of Meemaw's house.
Basting the turkey is easy. Making sure the living room doesn't smell like sex…it's a mixed result. Maybe there's a fan somewhere in here?
Missy comes to the rescue with a bottle of Febreze from somewhere and Penny hopes it's enough. The windows stay open even though it's getting chilly.
Mrs Cooper and Meemaw come back from church, neither mention anything. Not even the fact that every single window was open.
Penny is ready to pretend that nothing happened and that they're getting away with it. The rest have different plans.
"Smells like the back of Pop-Pop's van in here." Meemaw is on the verge of cackling and Penny can see her vibrate with all the energy of a toddler in a sugar high.
"Shelly always liked stuffing." This from Missy accompanied by a horrible eyebrow waggle.
Jonah was acting like a damn kid, every time he glanced at either Sheldon or Penny he would start giggling in what he thought was a discreet manner.
Sheldon has been unable to look at his mother's face and every time she talks to him he starts twitching something wild.
Penny thinks she's handling herself very well but the heat in her face tells her otherwise. The dinner is amazing but Penny can hardly taste anything.
But Mrs Cooper doesn't mention anything and Penny can almost believe that she's getting away with it. That is until everyone is saying goodnight and Mrs Cooper hugs her and whispers "Babies can wait after you finish school." And holy shit, that just about kills Penny.
Of course Meemaw can't let them go to bed without a parting shot "I'm a heavy sleeper, so ya kids feel free to go plum wild."
Penny has never blushed so much in her life.
It's not until they're cuddling in bed that they talk about it.
"We're just two horny monkeys." Penny grumbles against Sheldon's chest.
"As much as I would like to disagree…yes, we are." Sheldon sounds just as upset as her.
"Never having sex again." Penny wants to crawl into a hole.
"...I would like to voice my disapproval towards that course of action."
Penny finally laughs because yeah, she is not stopping either. It had been great and pretty close to mind blowing. 'Thank God for eidetic memories."
"Yeah, just kidding." But Sheldon lets out a sigh of relief.
"Wackadoodle." Penny can't help the fondness from bleeding through. "I love you."
"I love you too."
It's weird how easy the word comes to her. She had been ready to fall in love but she hadn't said those words to any of her past boyfriends. It just didn't feel right. Love was something precious.
Penny is really happy to have found it.
Christmas morning goes amazingly well. Georgie is there first thing in the morning to have breakfast with them and also to open gifts.
Missy and Mrs Cooper's gifts are met with great praise and the hugs Penny receives feel like all the Christmases she never had with them.
She's handing Meemaw her gift when Penny gets hit with a wave of embarrassment so big that it threatens to swallow her whole. 'This was dumb, it's so dumb!' Penny is already regretting it but Meemaw takes the box from her hand before Penny can snatch it back and make an excuse.
Sheldon takes a hold of her hand, a shy smile is on his face and it takes a moment to realize he's trying to encourage her, to make her feel better. She squeezes his hand back and lets herself fall back into the couch, pressing herself tightly against Sheldon's side. His presence is a soothing balm against her embarrassment.
"Oh Girlie, this is wonderful." Meemaw's voice pulls her back into the now. Meemaw is looking at the bracelet and admiring it as if it were something precious.
Penny wants to speak up, to justify herself. She knows it's a childish gift. But before she can say anything Meemaw is pulling her to her feet and hugging so tightly that Penny can't do anything but cry, she's not even sure why she's crying. But Meemaw is there to hold her while she calms down.
Jonah lightens the mood making a big fuss about the socks and how much he loves them. He also surprises Missy with a beautiful silver cross.
Ceecee can't wait any longer and asks if she can open her presents now and Mrs Cooper tells her to go ahead. That kid tears through wrapping paper like a racoon and soon has clothes, a new barbie doll, a colored pencil set that makes Penny jealous and finally she opens the Game Boy Advance and immediately goes to give Sheldon and her a huge hug while babbling thank you so fast that it sounds like she's speaking tongues.
Mrs Cooper's voice breaks through "All right, all right, let's go have breakfast." Everyone moves to go to the kitchen but Sheldon speaks up.
"Mother. I actually have a gift for Penny as well."
Anyone that knows Sheldon Cooper just had their world destroyed. Which means only Jonah is left wondering why everyone looks so shocked.
Sheldon clears his throat "Penny. Meemaw informed me that people in a relationship give each other gifts to show affection and that it's not about reciprocity." He's nervous. "Here." From his pocket he produces a small velvet box and the room takes a collective surprised breath.
'HOLYFUCK!' Penny doesn't want to freak out, but she's freaking out. She knows that she told his mother that they were getting married but this is too sudden, they haven't discussed it. 'HOLYCRAP!' Penny can see herself marrying Sheldon but isn't this too soon?
Her eyes are locked in the box and she knows it's not possible, but that moment right before Sheldon opens it feels infinite.
'Do I want to marry Sheldon?' She doesn't even hesitate. 'Yes, yes I do.'
The box finally opens to reveal…earrings?
Meemaw's laughter is so much like Sheldon's that Penny knows right away she's behind this entire thing.
The earrings are beautiful emerald and gold studs. She will be able to wear them to school and not look out of place. Part of her is relieved and another part is disappointed, she doesn't want to investigate to know which part is bigger.
"Sheldon, Honey. They're gorgeous." Penny takes the box from his hands and truly looks at them. Ignores Mrs Cooper in the background telling off Meemaw and her pranks.
"Wait here, one second. I actually got you something as well." Penny runs to Meemaw's house, grabs Sheldon's gift and then books it back. She's panting 'I need to exercise more.'
"I wanted to give you this in private because I know how you feel about gift giving." Penny says panting "But I couldn't wait after this." She hands him the wrapped frame.
"Oh! I wasn't expecting an-" Sheldon's long fingers make quick work of the wrapping and he freezes once he catches sight of the framed paper.
Penny had been so confident about the gift but now she's having second thoughts "I thought that-" She's not able to finish her sentence. Before she can react Sheldon has already grabbed her and kissed her.
It's slow and deep and it makes her toes curl. Penny is stunned for a moment but soon enough she's responding in kind and it's only Ceecee's awed 'Wow' that brings Penny back to the present. That and needing oxygen.
Her Moonpie was a pretty fast learner.
"Okay, break it up you two. No need to show Ceecee how babies are made." Meemaw's joke makes the adults groan, and it makes Ceecee look back and forth between Sheldon and Penny like she could really see it happening.
Overall, one of Penny's best Christmases.