All the kids wake up from their naps and Amy starts plays dress up with Halley while Sheldon sits on the couch watching Thomas The Tank Engine along with Michael who's in the carrier though he's not sitting next to him.
"Hey Halley! Let's be fairies," Amy says excited and the toddler clapped her hands giggling.
Then the front door opened and Penny enters. She smiles that the kids are getting along with the babies. Then she talked with Bernadette about the good news and bad news though it's not that bad. Then she takes the kids home finding Leonard at his desk.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Leonard turns around and smiled.
"Hey babe," Leonard greets as he stood up from his desk chair and gave her a kiss.
"Hey…" She sighs tiredly kissing back. She takes the bags to the couch and put them down while Sheldon and Amy head to their room to play.
Leonard asked concerned, "Why is Sheldon's arm in a sling?"
Penny shook her head. "It's hard to explain but you have got to know…" She told him everything and ager she finished, he was stunned.
"Oh man… I feel terrible for him."
"Yeah. Clearly Sheldon and Amy are now traumatized and I'm never sending them there again. Bernadette pulled her kids out of there as well," Penny said still peeved.
Leonard sighed. "Then what are we going to do about child care?"
Penny then said, "Listen Leonard, I made a big decision. But it was good and bad though at the same time. Please don't get mad at me on this one." She frowned.
Leonard then said, "No matter what you did, I still love you."
"I didn't take the promotion," she said.
"Oh…"
"I told my boss everything, not the 'Sheldon and Amy experiment gone wrong' part but everything else. And he said the promotion will be waiting for me until Sheldon and Amy start school, and no one can take it," she explains.
Leonard chuckled, "No way. How did you manage to do that?"
Penny says looking in his eyes, "I have my ways Leonard… No, I didn't seduce him. He's only a pushover."
He totally got that and went to sit on the couch. "What's going to happen? Are you working the same schedule?"
"Yes. Are you?" She asked. He answered, "Yes. But Friday is the only day we have to work? What about the kids?"
She thinks, "Bernadette doesn't work that day. I'll ask her and see what she thinks."
"Ok… Then the rest of the week is covered. But we should give Sheldon and Amy something to do. I mean like, something that's besides being in the apartment all day. They could end up getting bored."
Penny then said, "Oh, you're right… We should ask them and see what activity they desire to do?"
"Of course we know what Sheldon wants," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "But maybe Amy wants something to do. We'll ask while we have dinner… Oh! I made an appointment for Sheldon tomorrow so I called off work so we can go."
She says nodding, "Good good."
"I'm gonna get dinner ready," he says giving her a kiss and head for the kitchen island to prepare tacos. It took almost 45 minutes to prepare but after he put tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and meat in separate bowls with tortillas or taco shells, he called, "Sheldon! Amy! Dinner!"
Then Amy came out followed by Sheldon who are sitting in their little chairs by the coffee table while Leonard puts out the food, plates and spoons so they can dig in.
"So kids," Leonard cleared his throat, "Me and Penny want you to know that, we're not having you go to daycare anymore. But in a few months, we're sending you both to a private school somewhere around Pasadena, thinking Los Angeles. Because of your strong academic minds, especially yours Sheldon, that school is for the gifted students with strong minds. We're going to write applications for the both of you as soon as the adoption process is done… Well, it's almost done. Anyways, once we're done with applications, you both need to take an IQ test which is the school's standard procedure. What do you think?"
Sheldon doesn't look very happy. Neither does Amy.
Noticing their frowns, Leonard asked, "Something wrong?"
The boy answered, "What if those students are smarter than I am?"
"Don't worry about them and only worry about yourself. Besides, I bet that in the next five to ten years, you'll be going to graduate school," Leonard says. "It's called a private school for a reason. You'll like it there Sheldon. And Amy you don't like the idea?"
Amy replied, "What if the kids are mean? Like daycare?"
Penny answers this time. "Aw sweetie, no one is going to harm you or hurt your feelings. If something happens, just tell us and we'll take care of it."
"I think you mean that you'll take care of it because what you pulled today," Leonard said looking at her pointedly.
"I am very vicious, aren't I?"
"Oh yes you are, but your more of like a lioness who protects her cubs from any danger," he said smiling.
Sheldon took a bit of his taco before saying, "Fun fact about lions cubs, there are other names like whelp or lionet."
Leonard smiled. Same old Sheldon. "That's interesting buddy… But what do you both think about the school?"
It took a moment before Sheldon and Amy finally nodded.
"Great. In the meantime since you both can't go to daycare anymore. We were thinking about having you go do some activities," Leonard says.
Amy asked wanting to know, "What do you mean?"
"What we mean is that there are places where you can be talented and creative or get exercise," Penny explains. "Like the YMCA? Or something like that?"
Sheldon pouted. "I don't like exercising!"
Leonard then said, "You don't have to, but there are plenty of opportunities out there for you to try."
"Like a science club?"
"No buddy. There isn't one around here."
And the boy pouted again.
Penny then has an idea pulling out her phone. "How about you take a cooking class?"
"But I'm not allowed to cook."
"Don't you worry sweetie, I'll even take you there," Penny said already looking up on her phone. "There is a mommy and me class even from ages 5 to 7."
Leonard said nodding, "Yeah, and cooking is like a science! You can even create the way you wanted it?"
Sheldon still isn't happy. "But I'll eat my creation! I want my eyes to feast it, not my mouth."
About the give up, Leonard sighed, "Sheldon, you have to stop making this difficult."
"But I don't want to do it. I want to take an activity that has something to do with physics! Also can we go back to the lion topic? I thought up more interesting facts!"
Leonard and Penny now gave up.
She said picking up her taco, "We'll talk about this later sweetie. Now Amy, what do you want to do?"
Amy took another bite of her taco answers, "Well… I really wanted to do things like a lot of girls can do."
"Like what sweetie pie?"
"I always wanted to a dance class…"
That surprised them. Amy's cheeks turned red feeling a little embarrassed.
"Oh… Really?" Leonard asked smiling.
"Yeah. I always wanted to dance but my mother told me that if I did, I'll end up getting a job at a stripper club," she says.
And they get confused.
Penny then said, "Amy, you live with us now, so you can do whatever you want. And you can take a class. I'll find a good school for you."
"Ok! Thank you mommy," Amy says before finishing up her taco.
That warms Penny's heart when Amy calls her "mommy" again. She was nearly in tears but quickly wiped them before replying, "You're welcome."
The new family continued to eat their dinner before Leonard said digging into his second taco, "And buddy we got an appointment for you tomorrow. We need to test you."
Sheldon asked confused, "Why test me? Is it for something about science?"
Looking at each other, Leonard shook his head. "Um. No Sheldon… It's a test to see about your sanity."
The boy exclaimed, "I'm not crazy."
"Well, no buddy. You're not really. But you need to be tested just in case."
"You think that I am!?"
"What? No!"
Sheldon stands up from his little chair and ran to their bedroom looking very upset.
"Sheldon!" Leonard calls. But he didn't come back.
It was silent all of the sudden. After about a minute, Penny sighed, "I'm gonna go in there."
"No, Penny. I've known Sheldon longer than you. I'll talk to him. Think you can watch Amy?"
Penny nodded and her husband stood up and walked down the hallway to the kid's bedroom door and knocked.
"Sheldon?"
"Go away!" From what Leonard heard are muffled sobs.
"Buddy? Can I come in?"
When he didn't get an answer, his hand went on the knob and turned it to open finding that Sheldon isn't in his bed.
He calls again, "Sheldon?" Then he heard sniffles coming from the caboose fort. He took a few steps over and peeked inside finding Sheldon on his red beanbag chair, his head buried in it as he cries.
"Hey," he said calmly. "You alright little buddy?"
The boy's head picked up to look at him as more tears fall. He shook his head no.
Leonard kneeled down and crawled in the fort finding it really cool. He says, "I'm sorry Sheldon. It's just that… It's best if we did that. You are not crazy. Definitely NOT crazy at all."
"Then why do I need to be tested?" Sheldon asks sniffling.
Gathering a bunch of words in his head, he started explaining as he sat next to Sheldon, "Well Sheldon, you are smart, but your social skills aren't great. You couldn't understand sarcasm and you can't understand other people's feelings," he stopped a moment before explaining, "Listen buddy, you might to have tested anyways because your mother tested you before… In the past life actually. Since you and I were roommates, you claimed that your not crazy, your mother had you tested. But nothing was wrong with you. You just have a brilliant and special mind and your life is only set on mysteries of the universe other than focusing on many other things. You understand that?"
Sheldon was comprehending everything Leonard had said before nodding.
"Good. Then we're going to make sure. Ok?"
He nodded again and then asked, "What was I like? When I was older?"
Leonard answered, "Well…"
"They're taking very long in there," Amy says worried about her brother.
Penny assures her. "Your brother will be ok. He just needed a little private time. Ok?"
Sadly, Amy nodded and leaned in Penny as she watches tv.
Meanwhile, back in the fort, Leonard tells Sheldon about his roommatehood which intrigues the boy.
"… And then you escaped from the apartment and broke into a mall. I got a call from the security guard and came to find you in the kiddie ball pit sorting carbon atoms out of colorful balls. Then when I told you we have to get back home, you immediately dive into the balls making me chase you. But it was difficult to catch you because you keep moving around and popping your head shouting, 'Bazinga.'"
Sheldon then felt disgusted. "Ball pits are full of germs. You could've told me then I would've jumped out."
"I'm getting to that part. After five minutes of chasing you, I gave up and I realized that it's a ball pit, kids play in it and kids have germs. When I said that, you stood very still and I pulled you right out of there. The whole way home, you looked very exhausted, stunned and you will burn the pajamas and bathe in Purell. You didn't pay attention to what you were doing because you were really stressed and you haven't slept in three days."
The boy nodded feeling closer his former roommate or "pre-former roommate."
Back in the living room, Amy and Penny snuggled up watching My Little Pony.
"Hey Penny? I mean mommy?"
Penny looks down to Amy in question.
"Can I call you mommy?"
A small smile grows on Penny's face and she chuckles, "Of course you can sweetie pie. You can call me whatever you like!"
"Ok mommy!"
"But that night was worse," Leonard continued, "It was three o' clock in the morning and you started playing bongos. Then you left the apartment still playing with them… Though I heard you fall down the stairs."
The boy was really confused. He then comments, "I don't know what's more weird, this or adopting 25 cats."
Penny and Amy continue watching tv. She then asked, "Want some ice cream?"
"Yes please," the girl said politely.
She went to the freezer and took out vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup so they can make sundaes for the two as they wait for Leonard and Sheldon to return.
"… After I realized it was late and you weren't coming back. I was worried. I tracked you down on your phone. And then me and Penny went to the train station and found you sitting on the bench," Leonard continued while little Sheldon now leans into him. He was so interested into hearing about himself he didn't care about the germs since he's used to being around Leonard, Penny and Amy for the past couple weeks.
"You said that you were taking the train, you wanted to get away from all that change which was overwhelming you. We didn't stop you, we let you go. It wasn't because that we wanted to get rid of you. It's because that you needed the time to clear your mind and reset, and we wouldn't stop you from doing that."
Sheldon asks looking up at Leonard, "How long was I away?"
"About two months. But then you were robbed in Arizona and I had to come and get you."
"Oh…"
"But later in life, your all grown up, moved out and lived across the hall and eventually got married," Leonard finishes the story. "I cannot tell you who, you'll find out later. Ok?"
Sheldon nodded and leaned into Leonard's side again as it gets darker from outside their bedroom. He stopped crying and there are no more tears. He felt so much better.
He then said, "So buddy, the point of all that is no matter how crazy or quirky you were. You're very special. And no matter how much you drive me up the wall, you're still my best friend. Like my brother. And now my adoptive son. Now you don't have to call me dad or anything like that, you can call me Leonard if you want. Ok?"
He nodded.
"Ok. Now we gotta get you and Amy ready for bed. Big day tomorrow."
What do you ya'll think!? Please leave positive reviews! This took me all day to do! I'm so excited to move along.