It was abundantly clear to any who saw her in action that Amy Farrah Fowler-Cooper was not your average American wife and mother. She would work hard in her lab all day psychologically scarring an array of lower animal species, publish a few papers on her findings, and, if she was lucky enough for it to be dissection day, bring a few eyeballs home to poke and prod at with her kids while her husband observed from a safe, hygienic distance.
Today, however, she was assuming the role of supermom as she prepared dinner, worked on the half-finished proposal for the University on her laptop, tended to a fussy one-year-old, and argued with her mother on the phone all at once.
"Of course we want to come see you, Mother-" (eyeroll) "Sheldon and I are just very busy between work and raising your granddaughters, but as soon as we have a weekend open- hold on a minute, Josie's crying."
Putting her cell down, Amy shifted the whimpering baby a little more comfortably on her hip as she grabbed a pacifier. "I know, sweetheart." She cast a wary glance to the abandoned telephone before turning back to Josie and whispering, "I don't want to visit Grandma either."
The girl nuzzled her head into her mother's shoulder, sucking on the binky contentedly, and as she locked big blue eyes onto Amy's the biologist felt a sudden wave of love wash over for her little Josephine Mary, named for both her father's mother and grandmother and a Cooper through and through. Sheldon had once pulled out some old photographs of himself and his siblings when they were small and the likeness of Josie to her Aunt Missy was uncanny, with dark hair and a face you just knew would be breaking hearts in a few years' time. With the Cooper looks came the Cooper temper, it seemed, but also that same hidden sweetness Amy could never seem to be mad at for long.
"That's not fair! I want a refund!"
"You mean a rematch?"
"That too!"
Amy was torn between exasperation of having to break up the surfacing fight and relief of having an excuse to hang up on her mother. She quickly snatched up her phone. "Gotta go Mom. Love you, bye." And she hung up without waiting for the reply. "Amelia! Sam! Come here!"
The door to the kids' room opened with a bang and Samuel Hofstadter came storming in, a carbon copy of his father physically but with a dramatic flair undoubtedly inherited from Penny. Amelia soon followed, the picture of calm beside her inconsolable friend.
"She beat me at T-T-Trivial Pursuit!" Sam blubbered.
Biting back a smile at the boy's Oscar-worthy theatrics, Amy set Josie down so she could crouch herself in front of Sam. "Well, Amelia is almost a year older than you…"
"Only eight months," Sam retorted stubbornly.
"Yes," Amy said patiently. "But she's also four and already started preschool, while you're still three. It only makes sense that she knows more things than you do."
"But, but, but…" He glanced anxiously back at his friend, then leaned in to whisper to Amy. "She's a girl."
Being the rare female in the science world that she was, Amy was all too well acquainted with sexism but never with someone so direct. Or so short.
Luckily, thanks to the Vulcan hearing passed down to her by her father, Amelia heard everything and chose to step in. "Girls can be smart too, Sammy! Mommy's got a Pht, just like Daddy."
"Phd, honey," Amy corrected gently.
Sam looked to the biologist with eyes as wide as saucers. "You're a doctor, too? But I thought only boys could be doctors."
"What made you think that?" Amy asked.
Sam's eyebrows knit themselves together as he gathered his thoughts. "Well my daddy is a doctor, and he's a boy, but my mommy isn't. And the doctor who does my checkups and gives me boo-boos with a needle is a boy. Oh, and Hulk is a doctor, too! And he smashes things!"
Now Amy couldn't hold in her smile if she tried, seeing so much of her husband and his fellow nerd friends in this one little boy. "Smart and muscular. The perfect man." She rose to her feet so she could stir the sauce on the stove. "Sam, whether you're a boy or a girl, every person has their own set of skills that make them special. And just because your family is one way, doesn't mean they all are. You know Aunt Bernie and Uncle Howard? She's the one with the Phd in that house."
She turned around at that and pointed her spoon directly at the two kids. "But that doesn't mean Howard isn't smart, too. It doesn't matter your level of education. Everyone is intelligent in their own way, everyone is an expert in the areas that they're passionate about. Never forget that."
Sam took a moment to ponder deeply on everything his Aunt Amy just told him. "I guess that makes sense." He turned to his friend shyly. "I'm sorry I got mad at you."
Amelia was quick to reward his admission with a little smile. "That's okay, Sammy."
All their worries in the world now behind them, Sam grabbed Amelia's arm and started half-dragging her back to her room. "Come along, Pond-" (a nickname he's had for her ever since Leonard and Sheldon introduced them to Doctor Who). "We have to go save Hogwarts from the White Witch!"
Oh, their fathers would be so proud.
Chuckling a little, Amy was about to return to her paper when she suddenly realized it had been a solid five minutes since she'd seen Josie, and that could only mean one thing. Trouble.
After several seconds of scanning the room, Amy at last discovered her target… climbing up the bookcase. "Oh no you don't!" she cried as she went to retrieve her daughter and bring her back to the kitchen. "Honestly Jo, I don't know if your inbred curiosity will be your saving grace or your downfall."
The door opened just as Amy returned to the kitchen, revealing Sheldon and Leonard dragging themselves through the door at a sloth's pace.
"Long day?" Amy asked.
"You could say that," Leonard said, voice weary and with a hint of frustration as he cast a glare his coworker's way. "Sheldon, care to explain to your wife why it was such a long day?"
Sheldon gave a dramatic eyeroll as he removed his shoulder bag. "Apparently, when attending a luncheon that serves the purpose of schmoozing a number of potential university benefactors, it is considered 'inappropriate' and 'rude' to ask one if he was born with the unibrow or it was simply the result of poor grooming skills."
Amy sighed gustily. "Sheldon, why would you ever ask someone a thing like that?"
"Well excuse me for my scientific curiosity!"
Amy glanced meaningful at the little girl on her hip. "You're your father's daughter, alright." She turned back to Sheldon. "What did Miss Davis have to say about your little discussion?"
"As this has been my third offense this semester, I am required to take her class on proper workplace ethics. Again." He sat himself on the barstool to perform one of his well-practiced pouts. "Honestly, I'm the one with two doctorates and she's the one teaching me?"
Deciding it wasn't worth the hassle to reply, Amy turned to Leonard. "Sam's in the girls' bedroom with Amelia."
"Thanks." As he moved down the hall to collect his son, Amy sighed once again, knowing that she would have to deal with a moody husband the rest of the night unless she did something quick.
Surprisingly it was Sheldon who chose to do something, rising to his feet and rounding the counter so he could take Josie into his arms. The smile he had for his baby girl only grew as he gently grabbed her nose and watched her scrunch it up in distaste.
"I feel better already," he said, his fond gaze never leaving Josie's face.
Amy's insides warmed at the sight before her, still not quite believing this was actually her life now. It was crazy and chaotic, balancing work and a family, but it was more than thirteen-year-old her could have ever imagined.
"I know something that'll cheer you up even more," she told Sheldon as she turned to remove the pan from the stove and show him.
Her husband's eyes lit up instantly. "Spaghetti with little hot dogs?"
"Spaghetti with little hot dogs."
With a gleeful grin, Sheldon looped his free arm around her and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek in gratitude.
And boy, does it get better.
Fun fact: Sam's mixing up the words rematch and refund is a story from my own childhood. Hope you enjoyed this!
