(Later that week)

"I can't take this anymore!" Leonard shouted, as he exploded into the apartment. "I'm a nerd, Penny; it's who I am. So I'm going to Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, Bane, and Johnny Ohm the hell out of you tonight. Okay? I forfeit." He dropped his shopping bags on the couch.

"Great," Penny chirped. "I am going to go see how Sheldon's doing." She let herself out and walked across the hall, knocking on the door.

"Come in," Amy called.

Penny let herself in. Amy and Sheldon were snuggled up the couch watching TV. "Aw, well aren't you cute!" Penny noted. "Whatcha watchin'?"

"The Avengers," Sheldon said.

"Thank God," Leonard said, squeezing in past Penny. "The healing begins."

Penny smiled at him. "Uh, Leonard, you never answered - "

"Hang on, hang on!" Sheldon commanded. "Talk quietly in the kitchen before I have to rewind the whole movie." He began to rewind, Amy clung to him without objection, and Penny and Leonard walked to the kitchen.

"Now that you can nerdify yourself again, you never answered me about Wolverine's shirt," Penny continued.

"Nerd-if-y?" Leonard enunciated.

"Nerdize? Geekize? Geek up? Dorkify? I don't know, you pick one."

Leonard shrugged. "Dorkify kinda has a ring to it."

"Really?" Penny asked sarcastically.

Leonard began to browse the fridge. "Well, Wolverine's shirt is nothing but a mistake. So is Professor Xavier's walking as an old man. I love the franchise, but they're not perfect."

"Nothing you love is perfect!" Sheldon called over the volume of the movie.

At the same time Leonard and Penny both mocked his laugh. While Sheldon looked at them as if they were crazy, Amy paused the movie so she could answer her ringing phone in peace. "Hello?" She listened for a moment. "Oh," she said quietly. "Okay, thank you for calling. ...Tomorrow is fine. ...'Bye."

She hung up and looked at Sheldon. Her fingers trembled and her voice shook only slightly, "We...we were approved, we're parents."

Sheldon slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. "You don't sound as thrilled as I thought you'd be."

"I guess I'm just...nervous." Amy looked slowly around the apartment. "I suppose I could take the couch. We need to buy more tape, and some toys...Some housewarming candy."

"First of all," Sheldon said strongly, "Nobody is sleeping on this couch. First thing in the morning I want my Spot empty for breakfast with Dr. Who."

"Then, where will I sleep?"

"With me, of course. We'll make it work. I can use my savings for Danielle's wardrobe."

"All of it?" Amy asked.

"Yes."

Amy bit her lip. "Alright. I suppose I can manage the money well enough to buy the toys, tape, candy, and Erica's wardrobe."

Sheldon looked at her with raised brows. "Erica's wardrobe?"

Amy nodded. "Danielle and Erica Miller."

"Oh, dear Lord." Sheldon sat quietly for a moment, then picked up the phone.

"What - you're not backing out on me, are you?" Amy asked.

"No! I'm calling my mom and my meemaw. Oh, and Missy! They need to come see our children! Dear God, I need to hide my action figures!" Sheldon ran down the hall, carrying his phone with him.

Amy grinned at Leonard and Penny, one hand over her pounding heart.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" Leonard exclaimed, moving around the table. "Can we meet them?"

"After they've eaten, I guess," Amy answered.

"How old are they?"

"Uh, I think they were eleven and thirteen," Amy answered. Finally it sank in that tomorrow, she would be a parent; and she hugged Leonard. "I'm a mom!" She moved to Penny, stopping when she saw her. She was leaning over the kitchen island, staring off into space. "Penny?"

-0-0-0-0-

(Penny's daydream)

"Okay! Gang's all here!" Howard called, as he, Bernadette and their triplets paraded upstairs.

"I'll order pizza!" Bernadette trilled, moving toward the apartment.

"No, no, no, I already ordered Chinese," Sheldon answered.

"What? I just busted my ass makin' dinner!" Penny told him.

Howard's brows rose. "Girls, go into the apartment," he told his daughters, and they obeyed. In their silence he moved closer, aggressively, toward Penny. "You can't say 'ass' around my kids! Say 'tuchus'."

"Okay, how's this? Tell me what to do and I'll lay a whoopin' on your uptight tuchus."

Howard looked at Raj and looked back at her. "Wow, you are bitter," he chuckled, "Maybe it's a good thing you never had kids!"

-0-0-0-0-

(Reality)

"Penny?" Amy asked again.

Penny blinked and looked at her. "Oh, yes. Congratulations."

"Are you okay?" Sheldon asked.

"I'm fine, sweetie, I'm just...tired. I think I'll go to bed. 'Night, guys, enjoy the movie." Penny dejectedly left the suite.

Amy looked at the guys. "How come she never calls me sweetie?" she asked. "I'm part of this group, right?"

"I can call you sweetie," Leonard joked.

"Don't you dare," Sheldon said quickly.

Amy hooked her arm around his waist. "Yeah, I'm spoken for. Besides," she added, "No offense, but it wouldn't be the same."