(This is my first fanfiction in like six years so forgive me if I'm a little rusty. The story starts in season one as a flashback and will flash forward seven years. This is a fixed and updated version of chapter one. I added a bit on to this one. I will be doing the same with each chapter going onward. There may also be some extra chapters in between so pay attention! I own nothing, well except Haley )

Chapter One: There goes my life

All he could think about was I'm too young for this.
Got my whole life ahead.
Hell I'm just a kid myself.
How'm I gonna raise one.
All he could see were his dreams goin' up in smoke.
So much for ditchin' this town and hangin' out on the coast.
Oh well, those plans are long gone.
And he said,
There goes my life.
There goes my future, my everything.
Might as well kiss it all good-bye.
There goes my life.

~ Kenny Chesney

February 27th

They were in the middle of Halo night when Sheldon got the call. "Good lord, who could that possibly be. It's Halo night. Everyone knows not to disturb me on Halo night." He said in an annoyed voice.

"Maybe it's your home planet saying they want you back." Leonard answered with a roll of his eyes, as Raj and Howard laughed. Sheldon glared at him and answered the phone.

"Sheldon...it's Missy."

With that Sheldon was automatically agitated. "Missy, It's Halo night, " He began, but was cut off.

"Shelly, there's been an accident, momma and grandma didnt make it..."

It took a second for Sheldon to realize what was being said and by that point his sister was crying.

"I...wha...what happened?" He managed to say. This made the others stop talking and stare at him. Never have they known Dr. Sheldon Cooper to ever stutter.

"Some drunk driver drove in front of them. Mom and Grandma were in the front...it was demolished." She sobbed " Haley has a couple bruises and a broken rib, but other than that she's alright, thank the lord." Missy was referring to their five year old sister. The "Pleasant surprise", as Mary Cooper called her.

"Yes. The front seats lessoned the impact I suppose." His voice was low and incoherent to the others. After he hung up the phone telling his sister he'd be on the first flight out he placed it on the table and quietly went to his room, shutting the door behind him. Raj looked at Leonard "What the hell was that about?"

"I don't know but it doesn't sound good." Leonard set his controller down on the table and rose from his seat, heading towards Sheldon's room. He knocked a few times, but no answer. When he finally opened the door he saw Sheldon packing a suitcase "Hey…buddy, you alright?"

Sheldon looked up "Leonard, your in my room..." There was something different about his voice though. He could hear that he was trying to restrain himself from crying.

"You Ok? Your acting, well, your not acting like the whackadoodle we all know."

"My mom and Meemaw died..." He choked, hands shaking as he folded one of his many Flash T shirts into the suitcase "I have to go to Texas for the funeral,"

Leonard was in a state of shock for a moment. Mary Cooper was an amazing woman, despite being overly religious, and Sheldon absolutely adored his grandmother. He couldn't possible imagine how Sheldon felt losing the two most important people in his life. "Do you want one of us to go with you? You can't do this alone..."

Sheldon just shook his head " I'll...I'll be fine."

Leonard just nodded "Well if you need anything, we're here for you." He gave him an awkward pat on the back and walked back into the living room.

"So what's wrong with the robot? Malfunction?" Howard smirked but his smiled faded when he saw Leonard's saddened look.

"Sheldon's mom and Grandma died..."

Raj and Howard just looked at each other and then back to Leonard "That's horrible, is he going to be ok?" Raj asked sadly.

"I don't know, he's not being Sheldony."

"His mom and Grandma just died, of course he's not alright. Don't get me wrong i hate my mom, but if she died, I'd be lost."

Raj snorted "Yeah right dude, you know damn well you'd be at that bank getting that house put in your name..."

"Well yeah, but I'd still be sad!"

"He doesn't want anyone to go with him. I think he just needs his space."

0000

Two days later, Sheldon found himself at his childhood home, surrounded by family members he went to great lengths to avoid. Mostly it was cousins who picked on him growing up, aunts and uncles who criticized him, and his siblings who thought he was a freak. The only one he didn't have a terrible past with was his five year old sister who colored quietly at the kitchen table. He was keen on noticing how much she was aware of the situation despite her young age. "Perhaps, she will have a higher intelligence than the rest of this family. She is my sister after all, same genetic makeup basically. It is a definite possibility." He thought to himself.

He walked over to the table and sat down across from her.

"Hi Sheldon" The strawberry blonde child spoke without looking up from her coloring book.

"Hello Haley" He said awkwardly. At that moment, the oldest Cooper son walked over to them.

"Hey, How's my Rocket Scientist little bro been?"

Haley rolled her eyes "He's a Theoretical Physicist George." Before Sheldon could protest, he stopped at looked at Haley "Remarkable, a four year old knows more about my work than my thirty year old brother." He thought.

"Oh, nothing new, or anything you could possibly understand."

"Still a wacko i see" He muttered and went off. Sheldon stared as his child sister for a few moments before speaking "Not seeing you in two years, you bear a remarkable resemblance to Meemaw."

"I know, everyone tells me I look just like she did when she was a little girl."

"Haley Marie!" Missy bellowed. Sheldon looked to see his twin coming towards them. She looked haggard and disheveled, obviously annoyed and over exhausted. "I asked you an hour ago to get that damn dress on. We got to get to the funeral home." The girl slid off the chair and disappeared up the stairs. To Sheldon's annoyance, Missy took Haley's place at the table. "She's so damned stubborn, like you."

"I'm not stubborn. I can not help it i just so happen to be right most of them time."

Missy glared at him "Do you even care that Mom and Grandma just died, because you don't seem to be sad in the least."

"Of course i am" He snapped. Truth be told he cried a lot the past two days in the solitude of his childhood room.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are some kind of human robot." She sighed, getting up. "After the funeral we got to read momma's will..." With that she left him alone in his

thoughts.

0000

The funeral procession was a blur. Two coffins, side by side; lowered to the ground next to the plot where his father lay. Everyone around him was sobbing, except Haley. She stood there like a stoic next to George, her tiny hands balled into fists. He couldn't even hear the preacher above his fleeting thoughts. For the first time in his life he felt like he was loosing grip. The only advantage he had to keep face was his ability to keep his emotions in check. Being a Homo Novus he believed he was above such emotions. He would be wrong.

0000

"You've got to be shitting me!" Missy spat, as she read their mothers will. It was night time and everyone had departed with the exception of the four Cooper children. Sheldon rolled his eyes "Oh what is it now? Didn't get the truck?"

"Don't be a smartass Shelly. I was just reading over the part where Momma names who is to raise Haley...It's got to be a mistake."

"Well who the hell is it? You? Aunt Margaret?" George asked.

"Neither...she...she picked Shelly."

At the sound of that Sheldon looked at her "Excuse me? She chose me to raise our five year old sister?" He couldn't believe this. How could a five year old possibly fit into the routine he has been doing for years.

"Don't worry Shelly. George and I will figure out which one of us will take her. Lord knows you couldn't raise a little girl."

For some reason that stung him slightly. He didn't think either of them were fit to raise Haley either. With Missy struggling in her dead end job, and George's obvious alcoholism, he could see why their mother picked him. "I'll take her." he said suddenly, making his brother and sister look at him like he was crazy.

"Your joking right?" Missy blurted out.

"I do not joke. I will take Haley back to Pasadena with me."

"Shelly, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but you can't stand germs or human contact of any kind. Children get sick and need affection all the time..." She started, but he cut her off.

" I am aware of this." He was very aware and it freaked him out to no end.

"But it is what our mother wanted. I suppose I will have to learn to adapt." he said painfully.

"You think you can do it? Fine. Then you go upstairs and tell her. Tell her your going to be taking her away from everything she knows.." George said crossing his arms over his chest. He knew his younger brother was extremely odd and awkward in all forms of social contact, so he assumed he'd back down from the challenge.

Sheldon got up from his spot and headed up the stairs, leaving his brother and sister dumbfounded.

He walked into Haley's room to find her upright in her bed reading 'Curious George'. The pages were wet with her tears. She was crying and already he wanted to flee the room. He forced himself to stay, about to knock when her head shot up and she looked at him. He walked over to the bed and sat at the end. "Haley, I was sent up here to inform you of...the arrangements mother had requested in her will."

Haley said nothing, she just stared at him, but he could tell she understood. "It seems mom has chosen me to be your legal guardian. If you do not wish for this, then I will understand."

"Can I bring my toys?" She asked, those big blue eyes staring at him.

"I will make arrangements to have all your belongings shipped to Pasadena."

The child nodded, and there was silence for a few moments before Haley started sobbing loudly.

She's crying. Good Lord what do I do? He said to himself. He scooted closer to her and slowly extended his arms out to her. When she crawled onto his lap like little kids do, he stiffened for a moment , and slowly wrapped his arms around his baby sister. "Um, there there." he stammered.

"Why did they have to die?" She cried.

For the first time in his life he didn't have an answer "I don't know." He decided that it might be best to change the subject. "I loved to read that book when I was little…"

"I know, this was yours…" Haley picked the book up and handed it to him.

"Well I have no use for a children's book…" He said more to himself then anything. "Do you like Curious George?"

Haley nodded "Yes, it's interesting…but I like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland more…"

"But there is nothing correct about that book, it makes no sense…" He frowned at the thought, "Alice in Wonderland is so…illogical."

"What is sense anyways or logic? There is no mystery or danger…or wonder in sense and logic…"

"That's the point…it's safe and always correct…"

Haley shook her head "What a sad way to live…" She crawled out of his lap and rested her head back on her pillow.

"Can you read to me?"

"Oh, I don't think…" He began to decline, but she looked up at him with those big blue eyes "But momma used to read to me every night…."

"Well I wouldn't want to break your routine…" He sat up against the headboard beside her and opened the book, beginning to read.

0000

Leonard woke up to a text message at five in the morning. He looked and seen it was from Sheldon:

"Clear out the spare room. I have a stash of money inside my Green Lantern. I need you to purchase a twin bed. Ask Penny to accompany you, and have her decide what is appropriate room decor for a female child. ~ Dr Sheldon Cooper "

"What the hell?" was all Leonard could say. He got up out of bed and walked over to Penny's apartment.

Penny answered the door, looking like she might knock someone out "Leonard, it's five in the damn morning!"

"I think Sheldon's lost it."

"Is he ok?" She asked, suddenly not angry any more. When she found out about Sheldon's mom and grandma, she cried and felt horrible that Sheldon had left before she could tell him how sorry she was.

Leonard gave her the phone and she read the text message "The hell is this?"

"That's my thoughts exactly..."

"Well, whatever he wants, let's just do. He'll be back tomorrow."

"Ok, but why would he want the spare room to be converted into a child's bedroom?"

"No clue. Just do it."

0000

That day they went all around town getting the items on Sheldon's ridiculous list. Howard and Raj helped out with moving the junk out of their spare room. The next night they sat around all day, resting from the strenuous work they did the previous day. They all were up till four in the morning painting the room pink and moving everything in.

They sat there watching Star Trek quietly; all of them keeping track of the time, knowing Sheldon was being picked up by Penny at 9:30.

At ten they heard the key in the door. Instantly perking up they saw Sheldon come in with arms full of baggage. Penny came in after him, carrying a heap of something. It took Leonard a second to realize it was a sleeping child.

"Hey...buddy. Is that a kid?" Howard asked, looking at Penny.

"Yes Howard, it is a child. My sister Haley. My mom decided before she died that i was the most suitable choice for being her guardian in the event anything happened to her."

"Your Mom decided you were the best choice?" He shook his head "Poor little girl..."

"Shut up Howard!" Penny snapped. Sheldon set down the bags and walked over to his spot sitting down. Leonard could tell he was drained from everything, so he didn't press with the questions.

Raj moved over so Penny could sit on the couch with Haley. "She's so friggin adorable Sheldon!" She gushed, "Look at her hair! I'd kill to have curls like that!"

"She looks like Meemaw." He said quietly.

"You sure you are ok with this?" Leonard asked, just taking this all in at this point.

"Yes. I know it will alter my routine slightly, but I couldn't let George or Missy take her. She's already much smarter than them. She could have the potential to be a genius like me, that and I am the most financially stable of my siblings."

Haley stirred in Penny's lap and stared at the strange group of people surrounding her. Raj looked over at her and waved, while Leonard got up from his chair and walked over to Penny, kneeling down in front of the two. "Hey Haley. I'm Leonard, this is Raj, and that's Howard. It's nice to meet you" he smiled warmly at the little girl, putting her at ease. "Hi" she said with a shy smile.

"And I'm Penny of course." She grinned down at Haley. Penny didn't know how Sheldon was going to manage this, but she already knew she was on board to help.

Haley slid out of Penny's lap and crawled into her brothers'. They all watched for him to freak out, and when he stiffened they waited for it. To their surprise though, all he did was relax and patted her awkwardly on the head.

"I think I am going to head to bed." Sheldon finally spoke after five minutes of his friends staring at him in disbelief that he let anything invade his personal bubble without giving a strike. He stood up with Haley in his arms and turned to them "I assume Haley's room is in order?"

"Yeah, we finished it last night." Leonard answered, not believing that Sheldon Cooper, of all people got chosen to take care of a five year old.

"Alright. Well I must get Haley to bed then. It is too late for her to be up." and with that he disappeared down the hall with a once again sleeping Haley in tow.

"This is going to be interesting..." Howard mused. He didn't know then how right he was.