Amy was enjoying a quiet Thursday evening in the apartment with Max while Sheldon was working late on his Air Force project with Leonard and Howard. Checking her email, Amy quickly closed her laptop and glanced at her son, who was watching a movie. "I'm going to run across the hall for a few minutes. Will you be okay until I come back?"

"Yeah. I'm nine. I'll be fine," replied Max without looking away from the television screen.

Quickly crossing the hallway, Amy let herself into her best friend's apartment. Hearing the door to her apartment open, Penny looked up from scrolling her phone. "Hey. What's up?'

"I just got an email asking me to be a visiting researcher at Princeton for the summer. Princeton is on the other side of the country. I can't leave Max and Sheldon for two and a half months," Amy spewed while reaching for the wine on top of the fridge.

Setting down her phone, Penny turned to watch Amy move around her kitchen. "What does Sheldon think about this? Surely, you wouldn't have applied for it if he weren't okay with it?"

"That's the thing. I didn't apply for this. One of my grad school advisors from Harvard has been at Princeton for the past few years. One of their regular researchers is going to be out for a few months and they need a temporary replacement. My name was thrown out as a possibility. I just got the email asking me if I was interested. Of course, I'm interested, but I don't know how Sheldon's gonna feel about this. I'd be leaving him for the entire summer if I go. Plus, do I leave Max here with him or bring him with me or ask my parents to take him for the summer?"

Penny could tell her friend was starting to panic the longer she spoke. "Hey, you need to calm down. Sheldon's a grown man. He can take care of himself. He's taken care of Max alone before. He'll be fine. I know you've only ever left Max for a few nights in the past, but you can't pass this up. Leonard and I will be right across the hall. We can keep you updated that they're okay. You need to discuss this with Sheldon. Just tell him you need to talk after Max is in bed."

Amy shrugged at the blonde's suggestion. "I guess you're right. I don't like the idea of being away from Sheldon and Max for that long, but I should talk to them before turning it down."

While Amy was with Penny, Max decided he wanted a snack, which he was in the middle of finding when his mother returned to their apartment. "What are you doing?" Amy questioned when she saw he had pulled the wooden chair into the kitchen and was standing on it.

"I wanted a snack, but I couldn't reach the box of crackers. I was being careful. Penny showed me how to climb on the counter to get the snacks I can't reach. Dad told me to use the chair instead because it was safer," the boy explained.

Amy reached the box from the top of the refrigerator and passed it to Max. "Let me help. Can we talk about something? You have to promise not to tell dad, okay?"

A look of guilt spread over Max's face, "I won't do it again."

"That's not what I want to talk about, but that's good to know. I went to talk to Penny because I got an email about a summer research job. She said I should talk to Sheldon about it, but I wanted to talk to you first. If you don't like it, I won't even mention it to dad."

Pulling a handful of crackers from the box, Max sat on one of the stools next to the island. "Why won't you tell dad? Is it something that he won't like?"

"You know I went to college in Boston, right?" Amy asked as he nodded in response. "Well, one of the people I worked with there works at Princeton in New Jersey now. They're looking to fill a research position for the summer while one of their regular researchers can't work. I got an email me asking if I was interested. It's a really great opportunity, but it's on the other side of the country and I'd be gone the entire summer."

"I'll miss you, but I'll be okay here with dad and Penny and Leonard and everyone. It will be like when Leonard went on that boat trip. He was gone all summer, but he said it was a good thing for him to do. And when dad went on that train trip before we knew he was my dad. He said he got a lot of thinking done because no one distracted him," Max pointed out while continuing to eat his snack.

Amy sat on the stool next to Max and stole a few crackers from in front of him. "I don't know, kiddo. I'm afraid I'm going to miss you and Sheldon too much."

"Hey!" Exclaimed Max, while trying to reach for the crackers in Amy's hand. "I promise I'll be okay if you go. We can talk on the phone and skype. Maybe I could get my own cell phone, then we could text?"

"Nice try, but you're not getting a cell phone. If you're okay with this, it sounds like I need to talk to Sheldon and see what he thinks about this because I'm still not one-hundred percent sold on doing this."

Sheldon was in a foul mood when he returned to the apartment later that evening. Amy was giving him space and left him alone when he made his way to their bedroom. After brushing his teeth before bed, Max noticed Sheldon hadn't emerged from the bedroom yet and knocked on the door. "I just wanted to say good night," the nine-year-old stated as he opened the door. Seeing Sheldon lying with his back to the door, Max stepped into the room. "Why are you upset? Is it because mom's going to New Jersey for the summer?"

"What are you talking about?" Sheldon sat up on the edge of the bed. "They took away our Air Force project at work. Months of work, all gone."

"Oh, um. I shouldn't have said anything. I promised mom," Max quietly replied. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Hold it right there, mister. Tell me what you're talking about or no tablet for the weekend."

Max sat on the bed next to Sheldon. "Mom told me she got an email about some summer research thing in New Jersey. She says she doesn't want to be away from us for that long, but I think she really wants to go. I told her it would be like when Leonard went on his boat trip and when you went away on the train."

"Why did she tell you about this before me?"

"She said if I didn't like the idea of her going away for the entire summer, she wasn't even going to tell you about it," shared Max. "Can I go to bed now?"

Sheldon wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders. "In a minute. Are you really okay with the possibility that she'll be gone all summer? If you don't like the idea of her being gone for that long, we can talk to her about it. You know your mom and I have always said we wouldn't make any big decisions without talking to you first. Your mom has insisted on that for almost as long as we've known one another."

Max nodded as he answered Sheldon's question. "Sure, I'll miss mom, but I could tell she really wants to go. If it was just me and her, I wouldn't want her to go, but we've got you now, so I know I'll be okay. Besides, its just for the summer, its not like she's going away forever. Are we done talking? I'm really tired."

"Have a good night. I love you."

"I love you, too," the boy replied as he crossed back to the door. "Oh, dad?"

"Yeah?" Sheldon answered.

"I'm sorry they took your project away from you."

"Thanks."

Sheldon awoke the next morning to find Amy already awake and preparing breakfast. "What's the occasion?" he asked as he entered the kitchen.

"No occasion," Amy shrugged as she scooped the oatmeal into a bowl and set it in front of her boyfriend. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."

"You're so kind. You do everything for everyone else. You should do something for yourself. I want you to take the position at Princeton," commented Sheldon, lifting a spoonful of his breakfast to his mouth.

Amy dropped the pan into the sink and turned around to face her boyfriend. "You know about that? I wanted to talk to you first."

"Max slipped up and mentioned it last night. He asked if I was upset because you were going to New Jersey for the summer. I made him tell me what he was talking about. There's nothing to talk about. You have to take it. It's important."

"So are you and Max," Amy quietly replied.

Sheldon reached across the island and took Amy's hand in his. "We'll be fine."

Returning Sheldon's smile, Amy didn't fully believe him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," was all that Sheldon replied.

"I'm still not sure if it's the right thing for us. For all of us. I need some time to think about it."

Amy let herself into apartment 4A Saturday afternoon to find Sheldon at his desk. "Hey, I just dropped Max off. Noah's mom will bring him home after the birthday party. What's with the suitcase? Are you going somewhere?" She asked as she noticed the suitcase next to Sheldon's chair.

"No, but you are. I got you this as a present," he stood and set the new suitcase in front of Amy.

"Sheldon, that isn't necessary. I haven't even decided if I'm going to go."

Stepping towards his girlfriend, Sheldon spoke as he looked into her eyes. "I know you have some reservations about being away from Max and I for two and a half months. He and I discussed it Thursday night, last night, and again this morning. We both want you to go. He's got two weeks of school left. I already talked to Penny; she's willing to drop him off at school on her way to work. I'll take some shorter days to pick him up at the end of the day. We can take the bus home. Once school's out, we were planning on him going to that day camp at the university, so he can ride with Leonard and I. I was thinking that you could extend your trip by a week and Max and I could come to visit you. We've never taken any sort of family vacation together. Max might like to see where you've spent your summer."

Amy reached for Sheldon's hand. "I guess I'm spending the next two and a half months at Princeton."

"This is a wonderful opportunity. I am proud of you and support you in all that you do. Besides, Princeton is in New Jersey, so it's not like you're going to want to stay," Sheldon was cut off by Amy suddenly kissing him. Pulling back from the kiss, he read her expression. "Max won't be home for a few hours. I know it's not your birthday or our anniversary, but if you're interested?"

"I am."