So I took a break from my homework to polish up this chapter and publish it because I got a couple guest reviews asking me if I'd abandoned this story. As I've previously mentioned, I'm working full time and I'm taking classes. I do not have time to update regularly; real life is more important, as much as I love doing this. I've written over 140 fanfics since late 2009 and I've never abandoned one, and now is no different. But at least for another month, I simply can't be churning out fic every other day. I apologize, and it sucks on my end as well, but my classes are what I have to focus on on my day off.

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"Sheldon!" Penny said excitedly when she ran into him unlocking his apartment door.

He turned and gave a slightly uncomfortable smile. "Hello, Penny."

"How are you guys?" she asked hesitantly. "How's Amy?"

"We're well, thank you for asking," he said formally, shifting his weight slightly.

"Did you, uh…" Penny hesitated, shifting her bag of groceries to her other arm, "did you guys get my note?"

"We did," Sheldon said. "Thank you. It was very nice."

"Did Amy read it?"

Sheldon hesitated. "She was the one that found it, so I would assume that she read it, yes. We didn't speak about it."

"So, I take it she's still angry with me, then?" Penny asked. "Has it cooled off any? You know…with time?"

"Penny, I don't think that you understand something very important here," Sheldon said slowly. "Amy…Amy isn't angry with you."

"Sheldon, I think I'm a pretty good judge of why…"

"Penny, please. Let me speak." Sheldon held a hand up to silence her. "Amy was hurt, yes, but she knows you weren't doing it maliciously. It's not a matter of her forgiving you…she just doesn't want to be around you. She feels it's unfair that she cannot have children, and you are a living example of a woman who can. And she's been reminded time and time again of that. It's just like someone avoiding going to a movie theater that doesn't have blue ices, or avoiding vacationing in an area that has unfavorable weather. She doesn't want to hang out with you, so she's staying away."

"What about Savannah and Iris?" Penny asked, folding her arms, hoping her protectiveness of those girls could hide how much Sheldon's words hurt. At least if she was still angry at me, I could fix it…

"What do you mean?"

"I mean those girls…" she shook her head, her voice cracking. "Those girls love you, Sheldon Lee Cooper. They love you and they love Amy and they might even love you two more than Leonard and I do and you know damn well how much that's saying."

She and Sheldon stared each other down for several seconds more before Penny turned and marched up the stairs. Too many people had seen her cry recently. She wasn't about to add Sheldon to the list.

"So I was texting Bernadette today," Penny said, "and she had to go really abruptly to talk to Howard. Is something wrong?"

"Yeeeeeah," Leonard said. "Sort of."

Penny cocked her head. "What's going on?"

"Remember at Thanksgiving when Howard said Hawking might be bringing him along on another research project?"

"Oooh," Penny said. "He didn't get it?"

Leonard sighed. "I did."

Penny raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Even after that little incident last time?"

Leonard smirked. "I guess so."

"Okay," Penny said, nodding slowly, "when are you leaving?"

Leonard closed his eyes briefly. "Penny, I'm not taking it."

"Come on, Leonard, you've done this before. It's not like you're going away for two years." When he didn't respond immediately, Penny's eyes widened ."He wants to take you away for two years!"

"No no no no," Leonard said. "It's just another three months. But last time that happened, we didn't have the girls. There's no way I'm leaving our five year old and ten month old for three months."

"We'd be okay," Penny said. "We've got Mark and Gilda, and Howard and Bernadette…"

"Penny," Leonard said, "if another opportunity comes up when the girls are a little older, then I'll be sure to take advantage of it. But it's not a good move right now." He touched her cheek. "Plus, the next time I leave for any period of time, I'd like to be married to you."

Penny smiled. "I'd like that, too. But you're absolutely sure?"

"Leaving never crossed my mind," he said. "Things are different from the last time."

"Daddy?" came a voice from the hallway.

Leonard's face broke into a grin. "See?" He turned. "Hey there, sweetheart, what's going on with you?"

"Are you and Mommy done talking?"

Leonard glanced at Penny. "I think so. Do you want to play a game?"

"Hide en go speak?"

"Sure, we can play hide and seek," Leonard said.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, I'll play too," Penny said. "But if Ada wakes up and cries, I don't lose for getting up to take care of her, okay?"

"Otay," Savannah said, nodding. "I will count first. I can count to eleventy five."

"Wow," Leonard said. "That's very impressive. How about just ten, though?"

"And we gotta stay inside the apartment this time," Penny said. "No running downstairs and hiding by the mailboxes."

Savannah put her hands on her hips. "I didn't talk to strangers!"

"Nevertheless," Leonard said. "We're gonna stay here."

In response, Savannah put her hands over her eyes. "One, two, three…"

Penny and Leonard jumped up and ran down the hall, then, as Leonard disappeared into the master bedroom, Penny doubled back and leaped over the couch. She nearly landed on one of Savannah's stuffed animals, so she took the final second to throw it across the room.

Savannah was distracted by the teddy bear hitting the floor, and suspiciously eyed the kitchen. She finally made her way down to the bedroom, and several seconds after that there was the delighted shriek that announced to Penny that Leonard had been found. The shriek also signaled to Ada that something must be horribly wrong. Penny stood up, holding her hands in the timeout symbol as Savannah skipped out, pulling Leonard behind her by the hand. Penny smiled at them as she slipped into the room and picked up the younger girl. "Shhh, baby," she said, bouncing Ada in her arms. "Shhh baby baby."

Ada was calming down as Savannah burst into the room and threw the closet door open. "Close it, close it!" she said excitedly, and Penny shifted Ada to one arm so she could shut Savannah in. It wouldn't be long before Leonard found her. Savannah wasn't good at hide and seek.

Just under thirty seconds later, Leonard opened the door and gave Penny a smirk. "I'm looking for Savannah," he said in a teasing voice. "Is Savannah in Ada's crib?"

Penny felt a smile coming over her face even before the giggly voice said "noooo…"

Leonard stopped and folded his arms. "Is Savannah under the bed?"

"Noooo."

"Is Savannah in the box of toys?"

"Noooo."

"Is Savannah in the closet?"

Nothing.

Penny kissed the top of Ada's head to stifle her laughter. Leonard grinned and walked toward the closet, throwing it open. "There you are!"

Savannah burst into uncontrollable giggles. Leonard leaned over and picked her up. "Daddy found you!"

Penny laughed along with them. "Well, she does call it Hide and Go Speak."