Okay, funny thing. When I posted the previous chapter, and was still working on this chapter, it was going to be the last one. Then I wrote a certain section (I honestly have no idea where it came from, and certainly hadn't planned this) and I knew this could not be the last chapter after all, especially not when another section just materialized before my very eyes. One of these days I'm going to plan a story ahead of time and stick to it. Anyway, still don't own anything, still don't make any money with this. And I still haven't written more than one scene for chapter 11 (so, be prepared to wait a little longer)

Penny sat down next to Leonard on the small sofa in the dressing room, waiting to be called on stage for an interview with David Letterman. She couldn't remember the last time she was this nervous and was glad Leonard had been able to accompany her on this trip, though that was technically because he had been invited to talk about the findings Sam and he had made.

She glanced down as he intertwined their fingers, rubbing his thumb over her hand. She smiled at him and kissed him, being careful not to mess up her lipstick. "I'm glad you had to be in New York as well. I'm so nervous for this, I guess because it's the first time for me."

"I would've come even if I wasn't supposed to talk about the North Sea expedition and the recent developments."

Penny smiled, knowing he would indeed have come. At the same time she felt another surge of pride in his accomplishments. Together with Sam he had managed to fine tune the experiment and, in simulations at least, found the proof they were after. "I guess I knew that. I really appreciate your support, Leonard."

"Why wouldn't I support you? You've supported me when I had the chance to take part in the North Sea expedition."

Penny smiled again and gave him a sideways hug. "I guess we'll always support each other." After a short pause she added, "So, how did your presentation go?"

He grinned. "Pretty good. I just felt bad that Sam couldn't be there, get the applause and recognition for our work. Of course I mentioned that even though I was the only one presenting, it was full and equal collaboration."

Of course Leonard told them that, and he had probably done so several times. He wasn't one to claim success just because his partner wasn't there to present the results with him. If anything, Leonard would prefer downplaying his own contribution. The only reason he couldn't do that this time was because of the statement released by Stephen Hawking.

"Penny, they're almost ready. You'll be on right after David's monologue, which he'll start in a minute or so."

Penny nodded to the assistant assigned to her. "Thanks, Sheila." She turned to Leonard. "Are you going to be in the audience or do you wanna watch from my dressing room?" She could tell by his reaction to her suggestion to be in the audience, he'd preferred staying where he was.

"No, I'd rather stay here and watch you on the monitor, if that's okay with you."

She smiled. "Of course that's okay." She kissed him again, ignoring the very audible sigh from the make-up artist who had arrived just then for a last check. "I love you," she whispered into Leonard's ear, before getting up of the couch. "Okay, wish me luck."

"You'll do great, but good luck," Leonard replied.

Penny smiled at him before stepping into the hallway to make her way over to the back of the stage.

"Penny," Leonard called the attention of his girlfriend as he glanced at the boarding pass. "This is a flight to Philadelphia."

Penny turned to him with a smile. "Uh huh."

"There's no other ticket," Leonard asked.

"Nope." She seemed to enjoy his confusion, but after a few seconds added, "I figured we'd just hop over the state border and go to Camden for a few days."

Leonard started to smile, realizing Penny wanted to meet more of his family, but then frowned. "But I'm supposed to be at work tomorrow."

"Actually, you're not supposed to go back there for at least two weeks, since you worked all summer. Orders from Dr. Gablehauser. And I don't have to go back for another week and a half for the next episode. Did you realize I've only ever met your mother? I figured it's about time I meet the rest of your family."

Leonard grinned and hugged her. "You're awesome, you know that?"

"I did know that," Penny replied with a wink. "But I don't mind hearing you say that every now and then."

Leonard held her close. "I just hope you won't regret this decision. My family is… different." He felt her reassuring squeeze.

Melissa sat down a little nervously next to Raj. His parents would be calling him any minute now, and Raj had asked her to be there, so he could introduce her. She felt very nervous, mostly because she was afraid his parents would disapprove of her. She had asked Raj if she could sit just out of the camera's view and only if she felt comfortable would she move into view.

She glanced down when his hand gently grabbed hers and smiled timidly at him.

"Don't worry. My parents can sometimes be strict, but all they really want is for me to be happy. And I am, with you."

She couldn't help but lean in and kiss him. He's just too damn cute, she thought to herself. She became nervous again when the laptop signaled an incoming Skype call. She moved slightly so that she wouldn't be in the frame, still unsure if she wanted to be introduced, and undoubtedly judged, by his parents. She watched Raj's face as he exchanged pleasantries with his parents. It was clear to her that he loved his parents a lot, though she had assumed that was the case, based on how often he spoke of them in a positive way.

"No, Mommy, that is not necessary."

"Rajesh, you are over thirty. You need to find a nice girl to settle down with."

Melissa saw what this was doing to him, so he put her hand on his leg for support, knowing it would make her presence known to his parents.

"Who's there with you, Rajesh?"

"Uhm."

Melissa saw Raj was unsure if she had intended to be seen, so she leaned in to put her face in frame. "That would be his girlfriend, Mrs. Koothrappali." She winked at Raj and his surprised but happy face, and scooted over to sit right next to him, fully in frame.

"Mommy, Daddy, this beautiful woman is Melissa. We've been dating for almost two months. Melissa, these are my parents Dr. and Mrs. Koothrappali."

"Rajesh, is this like the last time you introduced your 'girlfriend'?"

Melissa tried not to frown, but wondered just who Raj's father was referring to.

"No, Papa, not this time. Melissa really is my girlfriend."

"Move to the bedroom, Rajesh. We need to talk to you in private."

"No, we can talk right here," Raj replied immediately. "She is my girlfriend and I'm not going to keep things from her."

Melissa kept her hand on his leg, giving it light squeeze.

His father started speaking in Hindi, along with his mother, in an attempt to make the conversation private.

"This is really disrespectful," Raj interrupted them. "Whatever it is you have to say, you can say it in front of her in English, or just don't talk at all!"

"Raj, don't talk like that to your parents!"

Raj turned to her. "But they are being disrespectful to you. To us, really."

"Raj, they are your parents. They indicated they wanted a private conversation and you refused to move or ask me to leave. That was being disrespectful. So, they did the next best thing. You have to respect their wish to have a private conversation."

Raj smiled at her, sighed and turned back to the computer, continuing the conversation in Hindi. After a minute or so, Raj became agitated again. "Melissa and I are together and there is nothing you can do about it that will change my mind. Goodbye." He closed the laptop and moved to the bedroom.

Raj was pacing in his bedroom, not really sure why he had moved away from Melissa. He was angry with his parents and their closed-off minds, not at her. His parents were only interested in him marrying an Indian woman, and could not understand that he found an American woman who was far more appealing to him than any of the Indian women he had ever seen. He turned to the door when he heard a soft knock.

"Raj? Are you okay?"

He walked toward the door and opened it. "Uh, yeah. Sorry I walked away from you."

"That's alright, honey. I understand you were upset over the conversation, not with me."

He smiled slightly, before moving back to his sofa. "I'm a little more than upset." He sat down and turned to her as she sat down right beside him. "They don't approve of us."

Melissa nodded. "Did you really expect them to? You've told me they've tried to hook you up with an Indian woman on several occasions, did you really expect them to approve of a relationship with an American?"

"Maybe I shouldn't, but then I'm thinking, 'why can't they just be happy for me?' That's not too much to ask for, is it?"

"Maybe, but you have to give them some time to get used to it."

Raj shook his head. "I don't know. They seem really opposed to me dating anyone but an Indian woman." He was silent for a while. "They insulted you, you know?"

"Oh, I've been called worse than a 'white play thing'."

"Maybe so, but it really… Wait, how did you know what they called you?"

She looked up at him shyly. "My uncle married an Indian woman. I've been learning Hindi since I was six. I can pretty much understand anything, though I'm not really fluent speaking."

He looked at her stunned, and then began to chuckle. "I guess the conversation wasn't as private as mommy and daddy had hoped."

She giggled. "You don't mind do you? That I didn't tell any of you I could understand what was being said."

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I didn't want the conversation to be private anyway."

He wrapped an arm around her as she leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. He really was a lucky man to have her in his life.

"Raj?"

He turned to her, a smile on his face.

"Explain the money thing your parents threatened with."

She panted heavily, rolling along to lay with her head on top of his chest.

"Wow."

She grinned, sure he felt it against his skin, listening to his heart beating. She frowned slightly. "Are you going to be okay, Howie?"

"Yeah, sure. Just give it a few minutes and my it'll be back to normal."

"Next time, I'll do the heavy lifting again," Bernadette said. "I want you around for a lot longer." She was pretty sure he wouldn't complain. He seemed to prefer it that way most of the time.

"Bernie, I know you're just being concerned, but I can't always let you do the lifting." She felt a kiss on the top of her head. "Just… you know… Most of the time."

Bernadette grinned again, being proven right about her assumption. "It's fine, Howie. I don't mind. I kinda like having that much control of our sex life. Not that you taking control wasn't fun, because it was." She felt another kiss.

"See, we're perfect for each other."

They really were, Bernadette thought. Their relationship was really solid, and Howard had really stepped up to do more household jobs, allowing her to relax more often. Actually, she was really impressed by the things Howard did around the condo, considering he'd never had to do anything when he lived with his mom.

Usually he was the first to come home, and he would actually prepare a home cooked meal. Granted, the first couple of times it wasn't the best tasting, but he had really learned how to cook and these days it usually tasted amazing. Bernadette couldn't even remember the last time she cooked on a weekday.

He had actually cooked this weekend as well, stating that he knew she had a stressful week and he wanted to make sure she could wind down over the weekend. And thanks to him, she actually had. He'd done pretty much everything around the house, cooking, cleaning, washing and giving her massages.

Penny looked at Leonard as he drove them away from his sister's house in their rental. "I'm sorry, Leonard."

"What? No, it's alright. I know you had to meet my family some day."

Penny sighed, putting her hand on his upper leg. "Leonard, sweetie, they treat you like dirt. Both your mom and sister were quick to point out you had help on your recent discovery. I wanted to stand up to them, you know, support my man, but I was afraid I'd make it worse." She sighed again and shook her head. "I understand if you don't wanna go to your father or your brother."

"Actually, I don't mind visiting my brother. And honestly, my father has been really trying to make up for the times he let work come before me or our family. I guess it's a good thing we visited my mother and sister first."

Penny frowned slightly. "Are you sure, sweetie?"

"Yeah. You'll see, it'll be much better visit."

Penny smiled and lightly tapped his leg. "Alright, let's go see your dad." She watched him confidently navigating the now busy streets, looking at the buildings and objects he pointed out to her.

Her smile turned sad as he pointed out the high school he'd attended, remembering stories of his time there. She couldn't imagine having to deal with daily bullying, just because you're different, smarter than your peers.

She also felt guilt and shame, as she remembered she'd done the same at her high school. Would she have done the same to Leonard if they'd gone to the same school at the same time? She couldn't imagine it now, but maybe back then, she might have.

"Penny?"

She turned to Leonard, slightly surprised to find they were parked in front of an apartment building.

"Are you okay? You just sat there staring ahead."

She nodded, undid her seatbelt, and leaned across the center console to kiss him. "I was just thinking about you growing up." It was only half a lie, really. She didn't want to tell him she thought she would've bullied him as well. "Let's go meet your father."

Amy opened her door in surprise. "Hello, Sheldon. I didn't expect you." She motioned for him to enter her apartment.

As Sheldon took of his jacket and hung it in its usual place, he answered, "Considering this is not our designated date night, and I didn't inform you I would be visiting, that is hardly surprising."

Amy nodded, feeling relieved she hadn't forgotten an appointment. "Can I get you a beverage?"

He nodded as he sat down in his usual spot in her apartment. "I would like some tea, please."

Amy gave a nod and went to her little kitchen to put the kettle on. She wondered why he had traveled across town, assumingly by bus, in the middle of the week. As she waited for the water to boil, she grabbed the tea flavor she knew Sheldon preferred, and after a moment decided she'd have the same tonight.

"You are probably wondering why I am here, without prior notification, on a Tuesday evening."

Amy turned around, slightly surprised as she hadn't heard him move or approach her. She smiled. "I admit I'm intrigued by this unexpected visit."

Sheldon cleared his throat. "As you are aware, Sam has been tutoring me in matters of social conventions."

Amy nodded with a smile. The British doctor had done a remarkable job in the two months she had been in Pasadena. "I am. Go on."

"She and I have also briefly discussed the relationship agreement, and she pointed out to me that, while I frequently amended the roommate agreement with Leonard, our relationship agreement remains unchanged for over a year."

Amy nodded, frowning slightly. Where was he going with this? Just then the kettle whistled, and she turned it off. Pouring the hot water into the two tea mugs, her frown deepened. All the amendments to the roommate agreement had been in favor of Sheldon. The relationship agreement already was heavily favoring Sheldon, and the prospect of amendments didn't seem like a good thing to her. With some trepidation, she carried the two mugs over to the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

Sheldon sat down next to her, holding his tablet with the relationship agreement opened. "Sam made me promise that any amendments have to be positive for both parties." He cleared his throat again. "The first proposed amendment is in regard to date nights."

Amy was still looking doubtful. What Sheldon viewed as positive for them both, wasn't necessarily positive to her. "Alright. What do you propose?"

"I propose date night should from this moment forward be held every other week on either Thursdays or Fridays."

Amy's eyebrows shot up, her heart skipping a beat. "You're increasing the frequency?"

Sheldon nodded solemnly. "Yes, to every other week. Now, the decision for Thursday or Friday must be agreed upon by the Sunday evening prior to the date night itself."

Amy was sure she was just gaping at him. This was so unexpected, yet so welcome, she just didn't know what to say.

"If you agree to the amendment and the conditions and terms, press here," he indicated a spot right next to the changed term of the agreement.

Amy hovered with her finger above the spot, but then paused and looked at him. "Sheldon, are you sure about this? Do you feel comfortable enough with this change?"

He nodded. "Of course. Why would I propose a term I wouldn't want to be held to?"

Amy looked at him and he did seem to be sincere. She placed her finger on the designated spot, her initials automatically appearing next to change. "Then I agree." She was surprised to see an actual smile on his face.

They both sipped their tea, Amy letting her mind wander about how they might spend the additional date nights. A slight frowned formed. Most date nights had been planned by Sheldon, doing things he wanted to do. Only on a few occasions had it been something she enjoyed. Before she could bring up any concerns, he cleared his throat once again.

"Alright, let's move on to the second amendment."

Amy put her tea mug back on the coffee table. "Sheldon, wait. Can I propose another amendment to the date night section?" At his nod, she sighed. "While I'm looking forward to the additional date nights, I do have some concerns regarding the manner in which they are to be fulfilled."

At her pause, he said. "What do you mean?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, most of our date nights to date have been about what you deemed suitable. However, on most cases it wasn't all that enjoyable for me."

He looked at her surprised. "Oh, I didn't realize that." He pondered this for a few seconds. "We could add another term to the date night section, stipulating that we alternate the responsibility of who will plan the night's activities, with a note that both parties must attempt to plan activities that both might enjoy."

Amy looked at him thoughtfully. "That seems acceptable. Thank you, Sheldon."

He just nodded, as he typed up the additional term. It took him only a minute or so, before he presented it to her, along with the little circular area allowing her to initial the addition, which she did.

"Alright, on to the second amendment."

Amy nodded, curious what he could possibly want to change more.

He cleared his throat. "I propose adding an additional section to the relationship agreement, stating that every first weekend of the month, the weekend being defined as Friday evening until Monday morning, you will stay in my apartment. Now, before you object, you will not have to sleep on the couch."

"Hoo." Amy's hand flew to her mouth.

"Ah, no! I meant for you to be staying in Leonard's former room."

Amy smiled, despite the disappointment she felt. "Of course." It really wasn't very realistic of her to assume they'd be sharing a bed. "So how does this work in relation to the date night modification. Would you consider it acceptable if we have a date night on Thursday, and me staying the weekend starting at Friday evening? Or would you prefer to have date nights on those weeks to coincide?"

He contemplated this for a few seconds. "I have no objection either way."

Amy smiled and shakily pressed her finger on the circular area. Again she could see a genuine smile on his face.

"Well then, those were the amendments I had in mind. Amy, do you have any thing you would like to be changed, added or removed from the relationship agreement?"

Amy shook her head. "No, not at this time. Sheldon, I really appreciate your willingness to make these changes. I know we haven't really talked about that evening when we all played Dungeons and Dragons, but I do remember you telling me you may some day be ready for a more intimate relationship. I know these changes to the relationship agreement are pretty big to you, but they do prove to me that you are indeed willing to work on one day becoming physically intimate. So, for that, I thank you."

Sheldon gave a small nod. "You're welcome, Amy Farrah Fowler." He glanced at his watch. "Alright, I better get going. It takes over half an hour by bus."

Amy placed her hand on his leg, then quickly retracted it. "Sheldon, I can drive you back to your apartment. That only takes ten minutes. And I really don't mind."

"I'm proud of you, Leonard."

Leonard looked at his father and could tell he meant it.

"Despite your upbringing, you managed to both be successful in work and find happiness and love."

Leonard let a small smile form, glancing at Penny at his father's words and implied approval of his girlfriend. Penny smiled back at him, her hand touching his leg. He quickly turned back when he noticed she was at the verge of crying. "Thank you, Father."

"And do not pay too much attention to Mother or your sister when they try to put you down. Your sister can't help it, she simply copied what Mother did and doesn't know any better."

Leonard sighed and frowned. "Yeah, we were there before. They seem to like and approve of Penny, though. I just don't get it. Why was I treated differently?"

His father looked down at the floor. "It's mostly my fault. You are my son and I should have done more to support you, look out for you." He sighed, before looking up. "Mother isn't your biological mother."

To say Leonard was stunned was an understatement. He just sat there, his mouth hanging open. He felt Penny's hand on his leg squeezing slightly in support.

"I had an affair with one of my students." His father stared of in space, a sad smile forming. "She was compassionate, loving. The complete opposite of Mother and, to some degree, me." He shook his head. "There were a lot of complications when you were born and sadly she passed away mere hours after you were born."

Leonard didn't know what to say, or really how to feel. One moment he gained a new mother, the next he lost her already.

"She had no family, at least none that were willing or able to take care of a baby, and I let Mother talk me into raising you ourselves. I knew she resented both of us, me for having an affair, you because you were, in her eyes, a mistake, unworthy. That's why she's been treating you like this, why she became so cold and distant toward both of us. She had always been clinical, but my affair made it much worse."

"Am I a mistake?"

His father turned to him. "No, absolutely not. You are my son and you were born out of love, not out of a duty to procreate, like your siblings. I am to blame for the way you have been treated. I made the mistake of having an affair, I made the mistake of not looking out for you. I let Mother, and by extension your sister, treat you as if you were nothing, unimportant."

Leonard sat back, finding his hand had already clutched Penny's, drawing comfort from the simple act of sitting next to her, holding hands.

"Do you have pictures of Leonard's biological mother?"

Leonard glanced at her, glad she asked. His mind was processing a lot of information, and he would've kicked himself later for not asking.

His father stood up. "I think I have. I might even have a home video that I had transferred to DVD. I'll look for that. Leonard, your brother and sister do not know about this. While I don't mind whether they find out or not, you might want to remember that next time you talk to them."

Leonard nodded and watched his father retreat in search of pictures and possibly a DVD.

"How are you holding up, honey?"

He turned to Penny. "I'm not sure, really." He leaned in to the comforting hug. "How am I supposed to feel now? Happy that Mother isn't my real mother. Sad that my real mother passed away? Should I be angry at Father for letting Mother treat me like that? Or should I be thankful that he finally told me?"

Her head was on his shoulder, her arms tightening around him. "I don't know, sweetie. I really don't know. I guess we'll have to figure this out together, when we're home."

"Hello Rajesh."

"Hello Priya. I guess our parents told you?"

She nodded. "Yes, they told me. You're quite courageous telling them you are in a relationship with a woman that is not of Indian descent, although I understand she more or less introduced herself."

Raj nodded and smiled. "She did."

"I want to meet this woman."

Raj looked to the side and Melissa slid over to be in view. "Priya, this is my girlfriend Melissa. Melissa, this is my sister Priya."

"Nice to meet you, Priya."

Priya smiled and gave a nod. "Nice to meet you, too. Don't worry too much about my parents. Once they realize you make Rajesh happy, they will come around to liking you, I'm sure."

Raj frowned at the screen. "You seem to be rather accepting."

Priya shrugged. "You know my views are not like our parents. I genuinely want you to be happy. Now, from what our parents told me, they made certain threats?"

Raj sighed and rolled his eyes. "They did. Melissa didn't even know about our financial situation, until they brought it up."

Priya frowned. "Were they not telling you off in Hindi?"

Raj nodded. "Yes, but Melissa's aunt is from India as well, and Melissa could follow the conversation."

Priya smiled. "Well, good for her. I have to get ready for work. I just wanted to call you and make sure you were alright."

"Thanks, Priya. I am alright. We are alright. Do you think we can talk again this weekend? I really need someone to talk to about this whole thing with my parents."

Priya nodded. "Yes, of course. Are you available this Saturday, around the same time?"

Raj nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Priya."

Penny was lying on her back in their hotel room, Leonard's right arm draped across her belly. She could tell he was asleep, but she didn't seem to be able to. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster, especially for him. While the visit with his mother and sister had been a strain, it had been something he had been prepared for.

The visit with his father, on the other hand, had to have been hard on him. They'd looked at the pictures of his biological mother, and Penny had instantly seen Leonard in the young woman's features. Leonard really was the spitting image of his biological mother, with several details of his father mixed in.

Leonard had been mesmerized by the pictures, but mostly the DVD his father had found. Penny had seen many of the adorable mannerisms of Leonard reflected in the woman. Leonard had asked if he could make a copy of the DVD, so he could watch it whenever he felt like it.

But Penny knew Leonard had not taken the time yet to process all of this. She turned her head toward him and silently told him she was going to be there for him, no matter what. She frowned at the obvious strain on his face, even while asleep. He probably wasn't going to be sleeping peacefully tonight, his mind processing the news.

Today had been a very tiring day for him. When visiting with his father, Penny had mentioned they were planning on visiting Leonard's brother as well, and his father had informed them he wasn't in Cambridge, but was spending some time with his fiancé at her home.

Armed with the address and directions, Leonard had driven them there. Much to Penny's surprise, his brother and fiancé had been very welcoming and positive. At some point the conversation had steered toward the earlier visits, and Leonard revealed he had learned just a few hours ago that the woman who raised him, hadn't actually given birth to him.

It had been a tough afternoon, but ended up with a nice dinner at one of the local restaurants. Leonard had been exhausted by the end of the dinner, all the emotions of the day taking their toll on him. Once they had arrived at the hotel room and gotten ready for bed, Penny had just held him close to her, telling him how much she loved him and that she was there for him.

It hadn't taken him long to fall asleep, but Penny just wasn't tired yet. As she glanced at the phone, she noticed it was just before ten. No wonder she wasn't tired yet. When she turned back to look at him, she saw he was looking at her. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

"No, that's alright. I woke up before you grabbed your phone." He turned to lay on his back, and Penny moved to put her head on his chest. "I don't think I'm gonna have a good night's sleep. There's just too much going on in my head."

"I know. Well, I understand. I guess I don't really know." She let out a small sigh, unhappy with the words that came out of her mouth. "You know, I had planned to make a stop over at Omaha, but maybe you'd prefer if we just go home instead?"

"Hmm, no. I think staying with your family for a day or so might actually help me take my mind of it for a while."

Sheldon frowned to himself as he entered the physics department, suddenly realising he had just traveled by bus to go to work, instead of trying to get one of his friends to pick him up.

Of course it made more sense; with the exception of Howard, his friends would need to make a considerable detour just for his convenience. What had him frowning was the fact that the Sheldon of old would never have taken his friends' inconvenience into account, yet today he had simply taken the bus, knowing that Howard needed to be elsewhere for the morning. Instead of calling Rajesh, or Amy Farrah Fowler and demand either one of them to drive him to work.

Amy Farrah Fowler. The thought of her made his frown disappear, a smile threatening to form instead. As he had anticipated, she had appreciated the modifications, had even raised her concern regarding his motivation.

But he had thought these modifications through. He hadn't lied to her all those months ago when he told her he didn't rule out a more intimate relationship at some point. Dr. Green had only pointed out that something would need to change if he ever was going to get there.

He had understood her reasoning behind the changes in the agreement having to be positive to both parties; anything else was not going to help him in advancing the relationship. And Sam had taught him a great deal about social settings, including dating, that would allow him to grow. He was surprised to find he was actually looking forward to this change.

"Good morning, Dr. Cooper."

"Oh, hello Alex." He glanced at his watch. "You are here early."

She looked back up at him. "Oh, yeah. I figured I could work a little on my dissertation, before work."

He nodded. "I see." He frowned. "How is your research going?" He could see the slight surprise in her eyes at his show of interest.

"It's going pretty well."

He nodded. "Let me know if you run into an obstacle, or need someone to spar with."

"Uhm, okay." She closed her laptop. "I guess I should go over last night's recordings."

Sheldon gave a dismissive wave, deciding he might as well apply one more piece of advice Dr. Green had given him. "I've decided to end that experiment." He opened a document on his computer and sent it to Alex. "I have sent you a file with a number of things you could look into for me."

He glanced at her and saw shock as she read the document. No surprise, really, considering this was the first real research task he was giving her. "Just get me the answers when you can."

Leonard turned to Penny. They were waiting at the gate for their flight to Nebraska. "I'm sorry."

She smiled. "Yeah, so am I."

It was all that needed to be said, and Leonard put his arm around her, pulling her close to him. It had been a silly thing to fight over, really. When they returned the rental they were both holding out their credit card. She had argued it was her idea in the first place, he had argued that she had already paid the flights and the hotel room.

"I just wanted to do this for you, you know. Kinda like paying you back for all the things you've done for me over the last six plus years."

He looked at her again. He hadn't thought of that, but it did make sense. Of course she would buy things for him, now that she earned a very handsome living. And she wasn't exactly wasting it, either; he knew most of the money was placed in an account of her own company, a construct put in place by her representation firm. "I guess I should allow that, though I really haven't been keeping tabs on how often I paid for something. And I know you're not wasting it or spending money like crazy."

"Of course not. I'm not an idiot. I want to make sure I still have some money, in case they don't want me back."

He laughed. "You're kidding, right? Did you not watch Letterman last night? Your character is very popular so I'm pretty sure they'll ask you for the next season. But even if they don't, chances are good you'll be asked to do other things."

"Hmm. We'll see."

Leonard frowned slightly. Was she still doubting her acting skills? He hadn't seen these doubts in few months. Actually, the last time was after the play that got her the audition that lead to her current role. Or was she just not trying to get her hopes up?

They both looked at her purse at the sound of her phone ringing. Not her business phone, but her private one. Penny dug it out of the purse and answered it. "Hi Aimes."

Leonard watched her with a smile, but frowned as she did.

"Wait, Sheldon did what?"

Leonard winced slightly as Penny hit his arm, a clear indication something was both surprising and exciting.

"Holy crap on a cracker! Oh, Aimes, I'm so happy for you!"

Leonard discreetly moved his arm away, but Penny was focusing on her conversation with Amy, leaving Leonard to contemplate what his friend had done that would excite the two women that much.

"No, Leonard and I are going to Omaha first to visit with my family. We'll return probably on Saturday." There was a brief pause as Penny listened to her friend. "Alright, we'll see you guys then. So, you two have fun on your date, and don't do anything I would do." She grinned and nodded. "Bye Aimes."

Leonard frowned. "Date? This is the second Thursday of the month."

Penny beamed at him. "I know, right? Apparently Sheldon has made some changes to the relationship agreement. Date night is now every other week..."

"Wow, he increased the number of date nights?"

Penny nodded. "Yeah, but get this. Every first weekend of the month, Amy will be staying at the apartment, sleeping in your old room! Isn't that amazing?!"

Leonard knew his mouth was hanging open. "Wow, that is huge." He stared out the window. "Our Sheldon is really growing up."