The next six months were fairly routine for Sheldon. Wake up, feed the cat, get dressed, go to work, come home, sleep. Every Wednesday he would visit Violet to see his goddaughter. Tuesday and Thursday he worked at the comic book store so Stuart could spend time with his family. At the university, he threw himself so deep into his work that there were many times where he didn't make it home until the wee hours of the night. His friends expressed their worries, so he cut ties from them. If they weren't going to support his choice, then they were just a nuisance. Lily also exceeding in her field from what he could tell. She was on every magazine cover and billboard. One night, after accidentally getting drunk on watermelon Leonard had neglected to tell him was from a party, he woke up surrounded by pictures of her. They were carefully clipped from a plethora of magazines that Penny had left at their apartment. Sheldon threw all but one away. The one he kept was of her in a Green Lantern shirt and jeans with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her smile was shy but her eyes held a deep agony.

As Sheldon was getting ready for another night of work at the comic book store, he got a call from Violet.

"Shelly, I need your help."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Stuart and I haven't gone out on a date since before I had Victoria. Would you mind watching her for an hour or two?"

"But I need to run the comic book shop."

"We have someone else who can take your shift."

"Who?"

"…Lily."

He looked at the phone for a second, incredulous. What did Lily know about running the shop? The only thing she was good for was attracting customers.

"Why can't she watch Victoria then while I work my shift?"

"Because, though we adore Lily, you've been around much longer. We trust you."

"Okay, fine. Only because it's you though."

"Thank you! Be here at seven. Bye!"

She hung up and he huffed, sitting on his bed. Sheldon didn't know the first thing about watching a baby. Thankfully, with his eidetic memory, he could remember watching Violet as she cared for her daughter. He just hoped she didn't use the bathroom. That is one thing he couldn't do. Checking the time, he fed Ripley and gathered the things he would need to be there. His laptop, gaming mouse, and headset were carefully set in the computer bag so he'd have something to do while Victoria slept. By the time he was done preparing, it was time to leave. Without a word to any of his "friends" in the living room, he headed over to Violet's. She met him at the door, rambling off a list of instructions as she dragged Stuart out. From what he collected, the baby was asleep in her crib and had been fed, but may wake up. They sped away and he set up his laptop on the coffee table. It was only minutes before he received a call.

"Hello?"

"Is everything okay? How is Victoria doing?"

"Still asleep Violet. I am playing World of Warcraft."

"Okay, sorry. There's spaghetti with hot dogs in the fridge."

"Thank you, I will have some."

He hung up and stopped his game, going to the kitchen to put some spaghetti. As it heated, the phone rang again.

"Violet," he sighed indignantly, "Your lack of faith is disturbing. She is asleep, I am getting food, and am perfectly capable of taking care of her if need be."

"I'm guessing Violet isn't there then."

His blood froze at the sound of Lily's voice. No matter how much he tried to erase it from his memory, he couldn't forget the sound. He silently cursed his heart for beating faster.

"I'm sorry, I was told to call if anything happened."

"No, it's fine. What's wrong?"

"A couple of kids were screwing around and a shelf fell. I set it up, but it won't stay."

"It's probably the crooked one. Just turn the upper left leg until you hear a click."

She was quiet for a moment, the sound of quiet shuffling coming from the receiver. He heard a small cheer and fought back a smile.

"I did it!" she said happily.

"You're welcome."

"Thank nyou so much."

They soon met an awkward silence. Neither wanted to hang up, but neither knew quite what to say. He heard the door open in the background and she hung up. Sighing, he leaned his head back with his eyes closed. He missed her so much. Her warmth, her voice, even her smell. No matter how much of a façade he put up, he missed her. But it was too late. She would never take him back now. Sheldon heard the microwave beep and realized he had forgotten his dinner. Thankfully it was still hot enough to eat. As he ate, he decided to scroll through his emails. There was a new one from Amy. Shrugging, he decided to see what she wanted.

Sheldon,

I heard what happened from Penny. I am very sorry that it ended that way. One a different note, would you like to grab dinner with me? We could catch up and discuss our recent findings.

-Amy

He thought about it before replying.

Amy,

I don't see why not. How about tomorrow at Golden Dragon?

-Sheldon

Her reply was almost instant.

Sheldon,

Excellent. See you at six.

He finished his spaghetti and cleaned his dishes before going in to check on Victoria. She was fast asleep in her crib. A small smile crossed his face as he knelt beside the crib, reaching in to touch her face. It was round and cherubic, the purest face he had ever laid eyes on. Her eyelids were a pale rose color and a mess of black curls partially covered her face. His breath caught in his throat as her eyes fluttered before opening to reveal inquisitive brown eyes.

"Hey there."

She smiled toothlessly, reaching out to touch his hand. Her chubby fist closed around his finger. Chuckling, Sheldon picked her up.

"You're getting big," he felt her diaper carefully, "And a little squishy. Let's get you changed."

He set her on the changing table, assembling the supplies he needed before unbuttoning her onesie. Her diaper was, thankfully, only wet and he changed it with ease. After fastening her onesie once more, he scooped the now-awake infant up. She fit perfectly against his side. Knowing that there would be nobody to hear him, Sheldon cooed to her.

"Do you wanna come help Uncle Shelly work? You do? Well, come help me work!"

She giggled and babbled as he walked to the living room. Setting her carefully on his lap, he leaned over her to work on the laptop. His new thesis on string theory was going amazing and he was ready to put the finishing touches on his final paper before submission to the committee. Victoria tugged on his shirt, drooling on it. He didn't mind though. Sheldon knew this was probably the closest he'd get to having his own child and tended to dote on her. Smiling, he typed with one hand while using the other to clean her face. Her indignant gurgles made him laugh. There was a knock at the front door and he picked her up, going to answer. Lily stood on the other side looking slightly shocked.

"S-Sorry. I thought Violet would be home by now."

"No, she's on a date. What is it?"

"I just came by to drop the keys off."

He nodded, taking them from her outstretched palm. His fingers grazed her skin and he felt a spark go through his body. Victoria squealed joyfully and reached for Lily, who took her gently. She hugged her once, pecked her chubby cheek, then passed her back to the stunned physicist. As she turned to leave, she smiled sadly.

"I miss you too," she almost whispered.

Before he had a chance to react, she got in her car and drove away. He went back inside, setting the baby in her playpen. Her words hit him like a punch in the gut.

I miss you too…

She knew how he was feeling! It wasn't just his imagination!

"If she feels this, what else may she feel?" A voice whispered in the back of his mind.

He brushed away this thought quickly. She may miss him, but love was completely different. Love came from trust and respect; things he hadn't been able to give her. Maybe if he learned, she would want him again. Victoria cooed and he grinned.

"That's right, Uncle Shelly has an idea! Want to help him?"

She giggled and he picked her up, twirling. A giggle from behind made him aware of the fact that he was being watched. Turning, he saw Violet holding her phone up as she recorded him. He blushed, setting the baby down slowly.

"Hey, Kolbe?" he started, using her old nickname.

"Yes?"

"I need your help."