For the next couple of hours, the new parents did nothing but marvel at their seemingly perfect newborn daughter and congratulate each other to an extent that, under any other circumstances, might have been a bit sickening. Sheldon, at Penny's insistence, had carefully maneuvered himself into the hospital bed so he could cradle both his wife and child. He took every opportunity to smugly remind Penny that she was now his wife. In turn, she pretended to be annoyed and made faces at him, as if she hadn't been the driving force behind their hasty and not-yet-legal union. But they had said their vows together, and the Cooper family now graced her finger, and that was all that mattered to him.

"Did you know," he asked, gently caressing her left hand, "that this ring has been passed down in my family through six generations?"

Penny sucked in a quick breath. "And you gave it to me? Wait, does your mother know?"

He smiled and stroked her hair. "Not yet. A few years after my father died, my mom stopped wearing the ring. She asked my Meemaw to keep it safe until me or my siblings wanted to get married. Funny thing was, Meemaw told her she was going to hold it for me. If I didn't get married before she died, she said either Mary could decide or the three of us could fight over it."

Penny frowned. "I don't want to cause a family feud. I know your Meemaw means a lot to you, but I don't care what ring I wear, or even if I have one at all. I just want you."

"You have me," he assured her solemnly. "Until death do us part, and the ring is a symbol of that. Besides, we already have the next generation right here," he added, gently caressing the tiny bundle that was his new daughter.

She chuckled a little at that. "Shouldn't the Cooper family ring be passed down to a son?"

His eyes lit with mischief. "Are you planning for our second child already?"

This earned him a punch on the arm, although it didn't have much force behind it. "Hell, no. I feel like a Mack truck drove over me, then backed up and did it again. I'm never getting knocked up again, ever. I don't care how much you pay me," she joked.

Sheldon's phone chimed softly, and he dug it out of his pocket. "Our friends are here," he said. "They want to know if we're ready for visitors."

She winced and patted at her hair. "I must look like crap," she grumbled, then glanced down at the infant sleeping peacefully in her arms. "Can I say crap in front of the baby?"

"She won't start repeating what you say for well over a year... and you look beautiful," he added. Even so, he brought her a hairbrush and helped her cover the hospital gown with a frilly pink robe, bought especially for the occasion.

In a few moments, Howard, Bernadette, Leonard and Raj filed in, wide-eyed and talking only in whispers. Raj had brought a huge, pink, overstuffed teddy bear; he parked it on a rocking chair in the corner and then approached Penny. "She's so adorable!" he squealed quietly. "Can I hold her? What's her name?"

Sheldon instantly interposed his body between his friend and his newborn child, brandishing a huge bottle of hand sanitizer. "Not until I'm sure you're not harboring some virulent plague." He pumped globs of clear gel onto all of his friend's hands. "Rub the alcohol over your hands for at least thirty seconds," he ordered.

Penny smiled at his high-handedness but didn't protest. When Raj approached her for a second time, she carefully transferred the baby into his eager grasp. "Her name is…" she began. She hesitated. The choice of their daughter's name hadn't been an easy task, but after weeks of arguing, she and Sheldon had finally decided upon a first and middle name that met all their criteria. Yet after hearing his story about the ring being passed through generations of his family, she'd begun to have second thoughts. She glanced up to see her husband hovering protectively over his daughter. The tender expression on his face was at odds with the way he was scolding Raj about properly supporting her head. "Her name is Rowan Mabel Cooper."

At her words, Sheldon's head whipped around, and if it was possible, he looked even more overjoyed than he had at anytime in the past few hours. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Penny nodded as tears began to blur her eyes. "Yup, I'm sure. Rowan because it's both gender neutral and sounds elven - at least Sheldon thinks so - and Mabel for Sheldon's Meemaw, the one person who always encouraged him and never thought he was crazy."

"Shows how much she knows," Sheldon muttered. In one swift movement, he crossed to Penny's side and kissed her with an intensity that caused the room to fall silent. "I am crazy; I'll admit it - crazy for you."

The silence was broken by Raj. "Oh, look, she yawned. That's the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

"Yeah, she is kind of... sweet," Bernadette said. She reached a tentative hand toward the baby, and then snatched it back.

"Would you like to hold her?" Raj gallantly offered.

After a brief hesitation, Bernie nodded. "I guess I should. She's going to be the closest thing I have to a niece."

Leonard had edged over toward the hospital bed, where Sheldon had stationed himself, his gaze darting between his child and the woman he loved. A woman I once loved, too, Leonard thought, but surprisingly, there was no bitterness to that memory as there had once been. He'd been infatuated with Penny; at times, somewhat obsessed with her. Yet there was no denying the joy radiating from her now. He knew that he'd never been able to give her even a fraction of the happiness he could see she felt now.

He leaned over the bed and gingerly hugged her. "I owe you an apology," he whispered. "For that day when I came over to your apartment…"

She shook her head. "If you owe anyone an apology, it's Sheldon, and you know he's already forgiven you. To him, you're the brother he always wanted, instead of that bullying jackass who shares DNA with him."

A sigh from Sheldon, and then, "I can hear you, you know."

Penny smirked. "And was I wrong about any of it, sweetie?"

"No," he admitted.

Leonard swallowed hard. "You're like the kind of brother I always wanted too." Without warning, he threw his arms around Sheldon, who flinched, but then carefully brought his arms up to pat his friend's shoulder. Penny giggled; her husband still looked awkward as hell touching anyone else but her.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt the bromance over here," Howard said, poking his head around them. The two men quickly stepped back and resumed their normal distance. "But are you seeing what I'm seeing?" He jerked his chin over to where Bernie, Alex and Raj stood huddled around the baby. Bernie was holding Rowan, and her expression had softened into something approaching wonder as she smiled down at the infant.

"I've been thinking about… well, I want to ask Bernie to marry me," Howard confessed. "But the biggest obstacle has always been the fact that I want a large family, and she hates kids."

"Looks like someone might be changing her mind," she replied with a smile.

To his friend's surprise, Sheldon used most of his accumulated vacation time and spent the next four weeks home with Penny and their daughter. Both his mother and Penny's came to visit during that time. There was no room for guests in the apartment any more. Although Sheldon had previously been willing to sleep on the sofa when his mother came to visit, he could no longer do so now that he was sharing a bed with Penny, nor would he wish to. Sometime during her pregnancy, Penny had superseded his mother in his estimation. As for Penny's mother, he found her to be a quiet, soft-spoken woman, nothing like her daughter. He actually thought her visit was more peaceful and appreciated the time she spent with Penny which freed up some time for him to work on his latest theories. Even so, their apartment was too small to afford him the silence and isolation that he preferred when he worked. Much to his dismay, it was becoming increasingly clear that his home for the past ten years wasn't suitable for his new life circumstances, even though his threat to bring a class action lawsuit against their landlord had produced the desired results. By the time he brought his exhausted wife and infant daughter home from the hospital, he proudly escorted them into the newly repaired elevator.

When he finally returned to work, he was a changed man. Often sleep-deprived (as Howard had predicted), he lacked the energy to scold his grad students the way he used to, and they quickly learned to head off any diatribe by asking about his daughter. Sheldon was obsessively proud of her. Photos of her "accidentally" found their way into his classroom presentations, and he never tired of bragging about her latest developments. His friends might have found him tedious but for two things. They were already used to this sort of behavior from him, but his happiness was so apparent that his pride was much more tolerable.

Penny had her hands full with little Rowan. As she adjusted to life as a mom, she found she wasn't all that excited about the prospect of returning to work. Fortunately, Sheldon loved the idea of her "providing full-time care" for Rowan and told her that she was actually saving them money but not putting their daughter in daycare.

"Not to mention lessening her exposure to all sorts of virulent contagions," Sheldon commented with a shudder.

Rowan was already mobile by the time Penny began to think about a wedding ceremony for their family and friends. She hadn't been wearing her ring at the hospital, since her fingers had gotten too swollen to wear it. But later, she allowed Sheldon to tell everyone close to them, and when her mom and Sheldon's came for a visit, she was glad she had. Knowing they were at least engaged had seemed to pacify the strait-laced Mary Cooper. After dragging her feet for months, claiming she was too busy to plan a wedding, Penny suddenly changed her tune. She set a date a mere two months in the future, and the next several weeks were a bustle of activity. Even though she only wanted a simple wedding, Sheldon's mom was constantly trying to "help", sending them long lists of distant relatives they just "had" to invite or trying to strong-arm them both into a more elaborate wedding. Much to Penny's relief, Sheldon had finally found a backbone where his mother was concerned and told her in no uncertain terms that he would support whatever decisions Penny made. As for his opinion, he was always willing to give it if asked, but he didn't care about flowers or reception seating. In his mind, this was just a celebration after the fact, and he still wasn't too fond of parties.

He changed his mind the day of his wedding. The moment he saw his bride walking down the aisle - or in this case, a snowy white runner, as Penny had wanted an outdoor wedding - he knew, as with the birth of his daughter, that it had been worth every effort and then some. Penny was radiant in a flowing empire gown. The gauzy material fell in gentle folds from a rhinestone-studded band decorating the high waistline. A matching jeweled headband ornamented her hair, swept up in a loose romantic style, instead of the traditional veil. Sheldon had never seen anything so beautiful. He stood, entranced, until Leonard (his best man) thumped him on the back.

"Breathe," Leonard muttered. "Penny'll kill me if I let you pass out before you say your vows."

Sheldon nodded as a muscle under his eye twitched slightly. To him, this was only the public acknowledgement of their marriage, which had already existed for almost a year. Coos of delight drew his attention back to the aisle where Rowan, adorable in a white lace dress which contrasted with her dark curls, had been toddling hand-in-hand with her mother. She had apparently pulled away to hug her grandparents, greeting them with lisping cries of "Meemaw! Pop-pop! Gammy!" That done, she deftly avoided her mother's grasp and made a slightly unsteady beeline for her dad.

"Up! Up! Tisses!" she ordered. Sheldon couldn't have refused his daughter for the world. His face lit up as he swept her into his arms and let her cover his face with slightly sticky kisses. "Love you, daddy," she burbled, drawing more "aww's" from the small crowd.

"Want me to hold her? Here, baby, come to Aunt Missy," Sheldon's sister coaxed. She was standing just a few feet away, along with Bernie and Penny's sister as bridesmaids. Howard and Raj stood behind Leonard as the groomsmen.

"No, Mommy! Want Mommy!" Rowan cried, leaning so far forward in her father's arms that a less experienced caregiver might have dropped her.

Penny reached his side and grabbed her daughter as she wound her chubby arms around her mom's neck like a bipedal octopus. "Just like your father," Penny said fondly. "Always wanting to be the center of attention."

After bestowing several kisses on her mom, Rowan began to squirm and twist in Penny's arms. "Wanna tiss the baby," she demanded.

Penny and Sheldon exchanged a look. "Of course, we'll kiss you, sweetheart," Sheldon said, reaching for her and hoping the movement disguised the slight twitching under his right eye.

But Rowan would not be diverted. "No! My baby!" She stretched precariously between her parents until she was almost hanging upside down. Then she patted her mother's stomach and kissed it, saying, "Love you, baby."

There were several gasps from the audience. Penny's mother broke the silence. "You're pregnant?"

"Again?" Bernie, the maid of honor, added a bit waspishly.

Penny's cheeks were a much deeper shade of pink as she nodded. Sheldon had never looked more proud as he moved to put his arm around his wife, drawing her closer as her mom, and then most of their guests, ignored tradition and swarmed around them to congratulate them.

"We were going to wait a few more weeks to tell everyone," Sheldon explained ruefully.

Penny giggled. "It's just another way she's just like her daddy - she can't keep a secret."

"I can too keep a secret," he countered. "I've kept one for over a year." Then he clamped his mouth shut, realizing what he'd done.

His wife was laughing helplessly now, hanging onto his arm. "You might as well tell them, sweetie. I'm surprised you managed to keep it in this long."

He shot a confused glance at her, unsure whether she was being sarcastic, but then she gave him a smile and a nod. With a sigh of relief, he confessed how they had already said their vows in the hospital while Penny was in labor. "I thought you might be upset that you weren't there," he admitted to his mother. "So we agreed not to tell anyone, but it hasn't been easy."

"I hope you can forgive us," Penny added.

"Are you kidding? I just found out my first grandchild wasn't born out of wedlock. I'm pleased as punch!" Mary Cooper crowed.

"We're just happy you're happy, slugger," Penny's dad said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"And that there's going to be another grandbaby!" Penny's mom gushed.

"Ooh, I can't wait either!" Raj exulted. "Another mini-Cooper!"

Penny groaned as Raj's joke caused scattered chuckles. Her hand went to her stomach, glad that all their secrets were out in the open… or most of them, at least. She didn't mind telling her friends how much she loved being a mom. What she wasn't quite ready to tell them was that she loved being home with her daughter too. Bernie might never understand, Penny had always known she was never going to have a big, high-powered career like the rest of her friends. She'd been surprised to find that she loved spending time caring for an infant, something that had never appealed to her in the past, but that was before she'd had a child of her own. Before she fell in love with her best friend, and then fell in love with him even more when she saw how fatherhood matured him. They had both changed together, each making the other a better person than they could have been on their own. That was why she couldn't wait to add another child to their little family. She hadn't wanted to scare Sheldon, but she hoped they would have a big family someday.

She insinuated herself through the press of friends and family. "Two pregnancies, two weddings," she murmured in his ear. "I hope this isn't becoming a habit. It's going to get a bit silly by the time we get to our fourth or fifth kid."

Sheldon's eyes opened a little wider. "Fourth or fifth child?"

"Yup. The world needs more mini-Coopers," she said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

"No, the world needs more us, more…"

"More Shenny?" she asked with a grin.

He thought about that for a moment. "Yes, I like that. More Shenny." He held out his arm to her in an old-fashioned gesture, and she leaned against him, blissfully happy.

"So will you marry me again, Mr. Doctor Cooper?" she teased.

He drew her closer. "As many times as you want." Then, flouting tradition, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until it seemed that nothing else existed except for the two of them and the family their love had created.

A/N: Wow, I had no idea it would take me this long to write the last chapter. Thanks to all my readers who hung in there for the end. This might be another end as well. I've recently started a full-time job, and my time for writing (or any kind of "alone time") has shrunk down to almost nil. I don't want to stop writing, but I can't promise any more fanfiction either. I will always love Shenny. I will always think that the Shenny fans are the ones who rise above the downward spiral of canon misery because we imagine a better future. The dream will never die.

-Dae