Levi excitedly bounced from foot to foot next to the door of apartment 4B. "We're going to be late," he called to Sheldon and Amy, who were in their room. Theo ran between his brother and the adults.

"You aren't going to be late. You know how I know that?" Sheldon stepped into the living room. When the six-year-old shook his head, he continued, "You're with me and I'm never late. We'll even be there early so Amy and I can talk to your teacher before school starts."

"Are you going to tell my teacher about mommy?"

Sheldon sat on the couch and motioned for his nephew to join him, "Yes, we want to tell her about your mom and why you're changing schools in the middle of the year. We're going to leave it up to you if you want the other kids to know. Do you think you want them to know?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Do I have to tell them? What if they ask why I live with you and Aunt Amy?"

Pulling the boy into a hug, Sheldon shook his head. "It's completely up to you if you want the other kids to know. If you don't tell them and anyone asks why you live with us, you can tell them that your mom and dad aren't able to take care of you, so you're staying with us until you're able to go home to Texas."

Amy stepped into the living room, scooping up Theo as she crossed paths with him, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

"It's nice to meet you, Levi," the principal of the boy's new school greeted him after Sheldon and Amy told the secretary it was his first day. "Your teacher's name is Mrs. Russo. She's in your classroom, do you want to meet her?"

Levi hesitantly looked over his shoulder at Sheldon and Amy, who nodded in unison, encouraging him to go. The principal led them through the hallways until they reached the kindergarten classroom. "Hi, Levi. Your spot is right over here and you can put your backpack and lunchbox in your cubby. Feel free to look around the classroom until the rest of the class gets here. School starts in twenty minutes, so you've got a little time before they can come in. You'll wait on the playground with them on Monday."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Amy asked Mrs. Russo while setting Theo on the floor with his brother before following the teacher into the hallway. "We filled out a lot of paperwork about Levi when we enrolled him. I'm not sure if you see that or if doesn't make it further than the main office, but I want to give you a little background on him."

Mrs. Russo smiled, "I appreciate that. Kids that transfer in the middle of the year can get lost in the shuffle sometimes. I hate seeing that happen and always reach out to the parents to find out more about their child."

"First of all," Amy grimaced, "Sheldon and I aren't Levi's parents. He's our nephew. His mother, Sheldon's sister, died a little over a month ago, just before Christmas. Levi's dad isn't in a very good place, so it was decided that we bring the boys back to California for a few months to give him a chance to get back on his feet."

The teacher's hands flew to cover her open mouth. "I am so sorry to hear that. Thank you for letting me know. How's Levi been doing? Losing a parent and moving is a lot to process."

"He has his moments, but Sheldon's been amazing with helping him talk about however he's feeling. We're giving him plenty of space and letting him process this in his own time. We only got back from Texas Sunday afternoon. All we've heard all week was him asking when he was going to start school. We were going to wait until Monday for him to start, but we thought it'd be best for him to get into a routine as soon as possible, even if that meant only going for one day this week. He loved his old school, so we're hoping this is an easy transition for him."

At that moment, the bell rang, ending the conversation, "The rest of the class will be coming in. We don't allow parents to accompany the children inside, so you and your husband had better get going. I'll give you a minute to say goodbye to Levi."

Returning home, Sheldon dropped onto the couch and rubbed his temples. Amy handed Theo a sippy cup and let him find something to play with before joining her husband. "You okay?" She asked, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Just tired," he pressed a kiss to the top of his wife's head, keeping an eye on the one-year-old who was by the kitchen island.

"You've been quieter than usual since everything happened. You keep saying you're fine, but how are you really doing?"

Sheldon paused before replying, "Honestly, I feel like taking care of the boys has been a good reminder that I can't dwell on it. Some days are better than others, but Levi and Theo always give me a reason to smile. I can't wait until we go back to work on Monday."

"About that," Amy hesitated. "I was thinking it might be better for the boys if I take some time off work and stayed home. Theo wouldn't have to go to daycare and Levi wouldn't be stuck in the aftercare program at his school. Just for a month or two until we're all more settled."

"If that's what you want to do, I can't stop you. It might be better for all of us."

Amy sat back from leaning against Sheldon, "Really? You think this is a good idea?"

Nodding, he confirmed, "I do. President Seibert has called a few times to offer us as much time off as we need. I think it would be best for me if I go back to work on Monday." Theo approached the physicist and attempted to climb into his lap. Sheldon pulled him up and got him situated, rubbing his back as the toddler relaxed into him. "Do you remember the conversation we had on the plane on the way to Texas?"

"Yeah, you brought up us having a baby. You said you wanted nothing more than for us to start a family," Amy smiled at the thought, not knowing their world would be turned upside down only hours after that conversation.

"I love Levi and Theo," Theo looked up at his uncle, reaching for his face when he heard his name, "But I think we should wait. I still want to have a baby with you, don't get me wrong; I just think the boys are going to need stability and I don't think now is the best time for us to be having a baby."

"Baby?" Theo asked.

Chuckling, Amy tickled the boy, "No babies here. You're the closest thing to a baby we have and you're a big boy, aren't you?" He shot her a grin, cuddling further into Sheldon. "I agree with that one-hundred percent. Not forever, though, because I'm not getting any younger. Maybe we can revisit this idea after we move into a house and I go back to work."

"Deal. Thank you for jumping in and becoming a pseudo-mom to two little boys. None of us would be doing as well as we are without you. You've been our rock for the past month and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. I love you."

"I love you, too." Amy noticed Theo had dozed off. "Do you want me to put him down? We still have a few hours before I need to get Levi from school. A nap sounds good to me."

Sheldon shook his head, propping his feet on the coffee table and pulling Amy closer to him. "No, I'm good right here."