Amy followed her eight-year-old son up the stairs to apartment 4A for him off to spend the weekend with Sheldon, like they had done every other weekend for the past few months. Max opened the door to the apartment and announced their presence. "We're here, dad!"

Turning around from the stove, Sheldon smiled at his son and girlfriend. "Hello. Go put your bag in Leonard's room and wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready."

"Why aren't we ordering pizza like we do every week?" Max questioned before proceeding down the hallway.

"I talked to my mom earlier today and she pointed out that if you're going to be spending time with me, I should cook more. She said that getting take out all the time isn't good for a growing boy. It's okay once in a while, but I shouldn't be feeding you take out all the time," explained Sheldon. "It's nothing fancy, but it's better than pizza."

Watching Max skip down the hallway to the bedroom he occupied when he stayed with Sheldon, Amy smiled and turned to Sheldon. "It's okay if you want to get take out when Max is here. Two nights back-to-back every other week isn't the end of the world. Aside from Thai food night, he rarely has take out. I don't mind and I know it's something Max looks forward to whenever he stays here."

Sheldon set two plates of food on the island as he shrugged in response to Amy. "My mother had a point. I shouldn't be eating that much take-out, either. It's something she's mentioned to me before, but she made a point with using Max to get me to change my habits. Would you like to join us? I made plenty and I know you're not having a girls' night tonight."

"Stay, momma, please," Max pleaded, jumping on one of the stools next to the island. "We never have dinner just the three of us." Amy sat next to her son and waited for Sheldon to prepare a third plate as Max continued. "Dad got Zootopia for us to watch tonight. Do you want to watch it with us?"

Amy hesitated, prompting Sheldon to invite her to watch the film with them. "If you don't have other plans already, we'd love for you to join us."

The group quickly finished their meal and Max opened the DVD while his parents cleared the dishes. Sheldon made popcorn and set the bowl on the coffee table, joining Max on the couch with Amy sitting in the armchair. Twenty minutes into the movie, Max nudged Sheldon's arm. When Sheldon glanced down, Max was pointing at his mother, curled up in the chair, sound asleep. "I think momma's tired. Can I wake her up?"

"Just let her sleep," Sheldon shook his head. "She's seen Zootopia before. I'll wake her up when the movie's over."

Just over an hour later, the credits began to roll across the television screen and Sheldon looked down at Max, who had curled up next to him. "Why don't you go get ready for bed? I'll be in to tuck you in in a minute."

"What about momma?" the boy asked as he stretched.

"I'll wake her up once you're in bed. Make sure you brush your teeth; I know you've been trying to skip it at bedtime," commented Sheldon before picking up the half-eaten bowl of popcorn.

Max was already half-asleep by the time Sheldon let himself into Leonard's room to tuck him in. Seeing his son was settled for the night, Sheldon returned to the living room to wake his girlfriend. "Amy," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder and kneeling next to her. "You fell asleep during the movie. Max is already in bed."

Rubbing her eyes, Amy slowly sat up. "Why didn't you wake me earlier? I should head home."

"Amy," the physicist started, "You were tired enough to fall asleep at seven pm. I don't think you should drive home. Why don't you stay here tonight?" Amy started to speak, but was cut off, "Just sleeping. You've got an emergency kit in my room with pajamas and a toothbrush."

Now standing in the middle of the living room, Amy shook her head, "Max will have questions in the morning once he knows I stayed here. What are we going to tell him? He doesn't know we've ever spent the night together."

"We'll tell him that you were too tired to drive home, so you slept over. You'll go home in the morning, leaving Max and I to spend the rest of the weekend together until you pick him up after dinner on Sunday, like you do every time he spends the weekend," Sheldon held out his hand for Amy to take, motioning with his head towards his bedroom.

Amy looked at Sheldon's hand before reaching out to take it in hers. "Okay. I'll stay, but I don't want this to become a regular thing. We have to make sure Max understands that."

Amy found herself alone in Sheldon's bed the next morning. She stretched and ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to tame her bedhead. Exiting the bedroom and making a stop in the restroom, she noticed the door to Leonard's room was open and she could hear her boyfriend and son laughing at Dr. Who from the living room. "Good morning, momma," Max greeted her when he noticed her standing at the edge of the living room. "Dad told me you slept here because you were too tired to drive home."

"Morning," she sleepily replied with a smile.

"I made coffee for you," Sheldon commented, turning off the television. "Max and I were about to have some cereal. Would you like some?"

Nodding, Amy answered, "Sure. I should probably get dressed and head home once we eat. Let you boys enjoy your weekend. Are you doing anything fun?"

Sheldon poured three bowls of cereal and retrieved the milk from the refrigerator before replying. "Raj is taking Cinnamon to the park this afternoon and asked if we wanted to meet them there. I'm not a dog person, but Max loves playing with Cinnamon; we might join them, but nothing is set in stone."

"Momma," Max started between bites of cereal. "Can you stay here when I spend the weekend?"

"We talked about this before she woke up," interjected Sheldon. "This isn't going to be an all-the-time thing. It was only because your mom fell asleep and was too tired to safely drive home."

Playing with his spoon in the bowl of milk, Max didn't look up as he spoke. "I know, but this morning was nice. I never get to see both my mom and my dad when I wake up. I liked that."

Amy set her now empty cereal bowl and coffee cup in the sink before making her way around the kitchen island and placing a kiss on the top of Max's head. "I know. I liked waking up and seeing both of you this morning, but the weekends you stay here are for you and Sheldon to have time together without me. The three of us spend plenty of time together throughout the week."

"How about this?" Sheldon began to suggest, "Your mom joins us for dinner on Friday nights and stays to watch a movie if they aren't having a girls' night. If they are having a girls' night, we'll have video game night with the guys like usual. She will still join us for dinner like she always does on Sunday before you go home."

"Okay. I'm gonna go get dressed so I'm ready to meet Raj and Cinnamon," the boy left his now empty bowl on the island and skipped down the hallway.

Amy waited until she heard the bedroom door close behind her son before walking up behind Sheldon, who was still sitting at the island, and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. "I like that plan. I think it will help Max, too."

Twisting around to look Amy in the eye, "You know, if there is ever a night you're too tired to drive home after the movie, you're more than welcome to stay whenever you'd like."