"Dude, you keep that up, and she's going to go Nebraska on you," Raj said calmly as they watched Penny and Seibert walk out of the house.

Sheldon looked over at him. "Penny is mine. I am hers. She just doesn't see it, yet. She still thinks of me as a kid she has to take care of. Well, I may be young physically, but you guys know as well as I do, that we've never forgotten who we are. Sure we cut loose at first, enjoying the lack of responsibilities, and rules. But we were still us. Leonard, Amy and Bernadette only succeeded in making our bodies regress, not our intellects."

Howard nodded. "Well, maybe it's time we told Penny, Missy and Stephanie that. We've talked about how this has changed us. Being betrayed by the people we love, that we thought loved us, changed us."

Raj sighed. "It's not like their drug was a complete dud. Let's admit it, we ARE different. I can talk even with the women in the room. Howard, you miss your mom, but you didn't feel like you had to rush over when she caught that cold last week. You trusted Penny to handle it. And Sheldon, you still have some quirks, but when's the last time you had a phobia attack?"

"I don't think that had anything to do with the drugs, though," Sheldon said. "I think it has everything to do with Penny, Missy and Stephanie. Face it, when have either of us ever been so accepted or cared for? For three months we have had three people do everything in their power to keep us safe, happy, healthy. The drugs did not impair our personalities, or thoughts. You still couldn't speak around women for those first few weeks, Raj. Howard, you kept wanting to peek at Penny when she went to bed that first week. I clung to her because she's the only one who ever really took care of me, but I still cringed every time anyone touched me. I still wiped down anything I came into contact with those first few days."

Sheldon shook his head. "The drugs didn't change us. They did. Those three women changed us because they loved us unconditionally," he said firmly. "I love her. And it's long past time I did something about it."

Raj and Howard watched him pick up Missy's car keys. "What are you going to do?" Howard asked.

"It's time Amy and I had a little talk about our 'relationship'." Sheldon grinned at his two friends. "Anyone else up for a road trip?"

Raj grinned and grabbed the keys from Sheldon. "Dude, you don't even have a license. Better let me drive."

Howard grinned, too. "I'd call shotgun, but I don't feel like having you challenge me to another arm wrestling contest."

Sheldon snorted. "Next time, don't touch my Mountain Dew."

By the time Penny, Stephanie, Missy and Greg realized the guys were missing, the guys were searching for a parking space near 2311 Los Robles Avenue.

Leonard opened the door, and Amy hurried in excitedly. Bernadette was already seated on the couch, nervousness evident in her expression. "Are they here, yet?"

Leonard shook his head. "I take it Sheldon messaged you, too."

Amy nodded. "I got a text twenty minutes ago that he, Howard and Raj were on their way here to see us. I knew Penny couldn't keep him away forever!"

"I wonder if they've forgiven us for the drugs," Bernadette murmured.

"Who cares?" Leonard asked, still bitter that the pharmaceutical company he had tried to cut a deal with had backed out. "It's over with! The guys are back to normal and Penny will come home now. Everything will be back to normal and we can put this all behind us."

"I wouldn't count on that," Sheldon said from the doorway.

Leonard, Amy and Bernadette gawked at the three teenagers watching them. Amy was the first to react. She moved toward Sheldon with a smile. "I've been very worried about you," she said warmly.

Sheldon snorted dismissively. "What has worried you most?" he asked. "The fear that I'd die? Or the knowledge that you would have been culpable in my death?"

Bernadette stood up. "That's not fair!" she cried.

"Fair?" Sheldon's voice was ominous, even for a teenager. "How fair was it for you three to lie to us? To trick us? To put us in danger? How fair was it for Penny to have to spend weeks taking care of three children, not her own, all because you three wanted to play god?!"

"Now wait a minute!" Leonard said angrily.

"Let me guess," Raj said stiffly. "You were doing it for our benefit? Your actions were for the greater good?"

Amy gasped softly. "Raj! You're talking! It worked!"

"No," Howard said, crossing his arms over his thin chest. "You didn't 'fix' us. Your little drug cocktail only changed our ages. Penny changed us. She showed us we were loved. Missy changed us. She showed us we were accepted. Stephanie changed us. She showed us we didn't have to be intimidated. They cured us, because they care about us."

Bernadette cried softly as she watched her boyfriend stared at her coldly. "I care about you, too," she whispered.

Howard sighed heavily. "Maybe you do. And there's a small part of me that still cares about you. But I can't forgive you for this." He took a moment to look at her carefully. "I would have done just about anything for you," he said finally. "Goodbye, Bernadette. I never want to see you again." He turned and walked out of the apartment without another word.

Sheldon looked at Leonard with steely eyes. "The lease for this apartment is in my name. You have until I reach my previous age to get out, which, according to my rate of growth is about 22 days." He turned to Amy and Bernadette then. "If I ever see any of you again, I'll ruin you. I'll tell every leading scientist I know exactly what you've all done. You'll be lucky to get a job teaching preschool."

"You can't mean that!" Leonard said loudly. "You can't get by without me! Who's going to drive you to work? Who's going to put up with all your nonsense? Who is going to take you to the stupid train store, huh?"

"We will," a soft voice sounded behind the boys. Everyone turned to see Penny standing in the doorway, Missy, Stephanie, Howard and Greg behind her in the hall. Sheldon grinned smugly at the three people in the apartment.

Penny stepped into the apartment and grabbed Sheldon's ear. He yelped loudly and tried to pull away, but Penny simply grabbed Raj in a similar way. "Running off without telling us where you were going," she bit out. "Underage driving. Scaring the crap out of me! You three are so grounded!"

"Aww, Penny!" Sheldon whined. "We were just…"

Penny sighed and released them. "I know what you were doing," she said. "And I know that it's your right to handle this situation, but you should have told us. When we found you guys and Missy's car gone…" Penny shuddered slightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"

Howard, Raj and Sheldon all nodded quickly. Penny smiled at them and patted Sheldon's arm. Then she turned to Leonard, and her expression made everyone flinch. "You have 22 days to get out of our lives. And if you even think of trying to worm your way back in, there's a very slick lawyer with the last name Koothrappali who is just chomping at the bit to have a go at you three." Penny turned and herded her guys out of the apartment and down the stairs.

Greg watched the three teens and the three women move out of sight. He turned back to Leonard and slipped his hands into his pockets. "I would suggest you start reading the want adds, Hofstadter. And Ms. Fowler, Ms. Rostenkowski? Don't be surprised when you both find your funding evaporating before long. I have quite a bit of influence in the scientific community. Good day." He turned and walked down the stairs, whistling jovially.

It was a long time before the three occupants of the room recovered from the shock and horror they felt.