"You're unusually quiet tonight. What are you thinking about?" Amy asked Max during dinner a few months after she and Sheldon had gotten married.
Max pushed his fork against the plate as he sighed. "You said my last name would be Cooper after you and dad got married, but it's still Fowler. When can I start using dad's last name? Do you not want me to change my last name?"
Glancing between Sheldon and Max, Amy set down her fork. "If you still want your last name to be Cooper, we can change it. It's just more complicated than filling out a form to change your name. Since I went to a clinic when I had you, and I didn't know who your donor was when you were born, you don't have a father listed on your birth certificate. To change your last name and have Sheldon added to your birth certificate, he has to adopt you."
"I don't want to get adopted. I don't want different parents. I just want my last name to be Cooper like dad," the ten-year-old protested.
"You won't have different parents," Sheldon attempted to explain. "It just means for you to have my last name, we have to do more than just paperwork. All three of us will need to fill out some paperwork, then go downtown to the courthouse, where we'll talk to a judge. The judge will ask us some questions and they'll probably ask you if you want me to be your dad. Once we do all that, the judge will sign some papers that say I'm your dad and nothing will ever be able to change that."
"Oh, okay. Does it take a long time for that to happen?"
Amy began clearing their plates from the island and setting them in the sink as she answered, "I'm not sure how long it takes, but we can start to look into getting the process started for you."
"Can I tell them, mom? Dad said I could as soon as everyone is here and they're all here now," Max excitedly asked as Howard and Bernadette let themselves into the apartment for Thai food night a couple of months later.
Unpacking the food, Amy nodded, "Go ahead."
"What do you want to tell us, Max?" Raj questioned the fifth grader.
Max looked around the room and was suddenly very nervous. "You do it. I don't want to mess it up."
"Just say it. We'll help you if you get something wrong, but you know what to say," Sheldon encouraged his son.
Taking a deep breath, Max paused for a moment before speaking again. "You all need to take off work on Thursday in two weeks. I'm getting adopted and I want everyone there."
"Finally upgrading from the parents you got stuck with?" Howard joked, whose comment was met with a punch in the arm from Bernadette.
Bernadette apologized for her husband's comment. "He doesn't mean that, Max. What do you mean, you're getting adopted?"
"I asked if my last name could be Cooper when dad asked mom to marry him. They said dad has to adopt me because we didn't know he was my dad when I was born."
The adults in the room looked to the boy's parents for confirmation, it was Amy who explained further. "We've known Sheldon was the donor I chose for a few years, but he hasn't legally been Max's father. Sheldon signed away parental rights to any children that resulted from his visit to the clinic. The father line on Max's birth certificate is blank. To change all of that, we have to go before a judge for Sheldon to adopt Max. It won't change anything, it's just some paperwork, but Max wants everyone to be there."
A chorus of, "We wouldn't miss it" and "I have to switch some things at work, but I'll be there" filled the room.
Two weeks later, the group met at the courthouse to see Max officially become a Cooper. Waiting in the hallway, Max turned to Amy, "What if the judge says no? Dad said the judge is going to ask us questions. What if he doesn't like our answers?"
"Come here," Amy wrapped her arms around her son. "The judge will sign off on this. They have no reason to not approve it."
Bernadette noticed the moment and checked on them, "Is everything okay? Do you need anything?"
"Yeah, just a few nerves, but nothing to worry about," answered Amy for the both of them as Penny joined the group. "How was Sheldon? He's barely said anything all morning."
Chuckling, Penny replied, "I think he'll be fine. The guys were talking about wanting to go see the new Star Wars movie again this afternoon. Even though it's been out for over a month and they've already seen it four times," Penny started to suggest doing something that afternoon, but was interrupted as the court clerk called Max's name.
The group filed into the courtroom behind Max, Amy, and Sheldon. They took a seat behind the table at the front of the room, with everyone else finding seats behind them. The judge waited for everyone to get settled before speaking. "I understand we're here today for the adoption of Maxwell Finn Fowler by Sheldon Cooper. Is that correct?"
"Yes. I want my dad to adopt me. I want my last name to be Cooper," Max proudly answered.
"Perfect. Why don't you briefly explain your family situation and why exactly we're here today?" He asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular, which caused the three of them to look at one another, silently debating who should speak.
Amy spoke first, "Hello, your honor. I'm Max's mother, Amy. About eleven years ago, I knew I wanted to become a mother and I wasn't having any luck finding someone I wanted to do that with, so I went to a sperm bank. Nine months later, I had Max. Just after Max's second birthday, I met Sheldon. He's been fantastic with Max since the day they met. As Max spent more time with Sheldon, we noticed some similarities between them, things that couldn't just be explained only by how much time they spend together. Eventually, Sheldon shared with me he once made a donation at the same sperm bank I used. After months of discussion between Sheldon and I, we decided to get a paternity test, just to settle our curiosity. It came back that it was a match and Sheldon is the donor I chose when I had Max. That was about three years ago, and Sheldon and I got married last spring."
"When I asked Max if it would be alright if I proposed to Amy, he asked if that meant he would have the same last name as me," chimed in Sheldon. "Since I signed away my parental rights when I went to the clinic, we're here to officially make me Max's father. We don't foresee this changing anything other than Max's last name and his birth certificate saying my name on the father line. I like to think that even if that test said I wasn't the donor Amy chose, we would still be here for me to adopt Max."
The judge looked through the papers in front of him one more time, "Max, aside from wanting to be a Cooper, how are you feeling about all of this? I'm sure you must be nervous?"
Nodding his head, Max replied, "Yes, sir, but I'm also excited. I know he will always be my dad. I don't remember a time I didn't know him. Even before he and mom told me he is my dad, he did all the things a dad does. He took care of me when I was sick, read to me, and played trains with me. He even got me Christmas presents and he hates giving gifts."
"Okay then, I see no reason to deny this adoption," the judge said as he picked up his pen and signed a few papers. "Max, you are now officially Maxwell Finn Cooper. Sheldon Cooper, you are now the legal parent of Maxwell Finn Cooper. Congratulations."
Thanks again for continuing to read. I probably won't be able to update either of my stories until the end of next week. I've got a pretty busy week- working all weekend, then going to NYC for a few days, and putting in my notice at work when I get back from vacation. I'm still open to suggestions for one shots, so if you think of something, let me know.