Leonard and Penny were waiting outside the restaurant they were meeting Sheldon and Amy at before heading home to California after spending nearly a week in Texas following Missy's funeral. Seeing the couple approach from across the parking lot, Leonard watched them closely, noting the way Sheldon was carrying Theo and Amy had a diaper bag slung over her shoulder. "Aren't you missing a kid?" He asked once they were close enough to hear him.

"Levi went back to school today until we get everything sorted out to take them home," explained Sheldon, following their friends into the restaurant.

Getting settled at the table, Amy pulled a few toys from the bag she set near her feet to keep Theo occupied while they waited for the server to take their orders. Penny smiled, starting to play with the toddler. "How's it going to work once you bring them home? I mean, your apartment is tiny."

"We've been thinking Levi can sleep on the couch. We can get a small air mattress for Theo that we can put on the floor in the living room at night. Toddler beds don't take up much room, maybe we could get one of those for him. We haven't figured out specifics yet," Amy hesitated before continuing. "Sheldon and I weren't going to say anything until we found something, but after we won the Nobel, we started talking about looking for a house this spring. We're going to start looking sooner than originally planned."

Leonard smiled at his friends, "Who'd have thought Sheldon would voluntarily move out of the apartments? That's exciting. I'm happy for the two of you. Have you heard anything as to when you'll be able to come home?"

"No," Sheldon shook his head between bites of his meal. "Ricky's in agreement with us taking care of the boys for now, so that makes it easier. We're just making sure everything's in order so we don't run into any problems when we enroll Levi in school or if they need to go to the doctor or something."

"We've got a couple of suitcases of the boys' things that we don't think they'll need in the next few weeks. Would you be able to take them when you leave tomorrow? It will save us from having to pay for extra suitcases when we fly home."

Nodding, Penny quickly agreed. "Yeah. Our flight isn't until tomorrow afternoon, so we'll stop at Missy's on the way to pick up whatever you want us to take with us. I do hope this all gets sorted out soon cuz we miss having you guys across the hall. It's way too quiet."

Everyone was gathered at Mary's house three days after Leonard and Penny returned to California, as they did most afternoons when the school day was over for Levi. That's where they were when Sheldon's phone began to ring. "It's Ricky. I'll be back in a minute," he excused himself from the group. He was standing on the front porch for some privacy when Amy slowly opened the door and quietly approached him. She was surprised when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. Amy noticed the smile spread across her husband's face and suspected it was good news. "Thank you so much. We'll let you know when we're headed back to California and set up a time for you to say goodbye." The call ended and Sheldon hugged Amy. "Everything is done. We can take them home whenever we want. Ricky said the social worker is going to send us copies of everything in the next few days."

Letting out a sigh, Amy's only response was "I love you and I'm so proud of how you've handled this."

"I should tell mom and Meemaw. I guess we should start looking at flights," Sheldon released Amy from his embrace.

Sheldon pulled Mary aside to inform her they would be making the trip back to California in the coming days. "When are you going to tell Levi? Should we tell him before dinner or after?"

"Actually," he hesitated, "Amy and I talked about that. We think it would be best if we told the boys at the apartment, just the two of us. Levi is probably going to want some space after we tell him and having a lot of people around might overwhelm him. We promise you'll still see them plenty before we leave. Plus, you can come to visit and I'm sure we'll bring them back to see everyone."

Sheldon and Amy decided it would be best to have dinner at Missy's apartment that evening, rather than staying at Mary's. They wanted to tell Levi with plenty of time so he wouldn't be upset at bedtime if he didn't like the plan they'd come up with. They arrived home and Amy was relieved Theo was more interested in his toys than clinging to her like he had been recently. Levi started to run to his room when Sheldon called after him, "Levi, can we talk to you for a minute before you start to play?" The six-year-old turned around and saw his aunt and uncle waiting for him on the couch. "Come sit with us," he was waved over to sit between them.

Concern crossed his face, "Am I in trouble?"

Not sure why he would ask that, Amy quickly answered, "No. Your Uncle Sheldon and I want to talk about your mom and dad for a minute."

"Okay."

Exchanging a look with Amy over the boy's head, Sheldon spoke first. "We want to remind you that your mommy loved you and Theo very much. She only wanted the best for you. Your daddy is working on being the best dad possible for you, but he needs more time to do that. Until he's able to do that, you're going to come to California and live with me and Aunt Amy."

Levi looked up at the adults who were watching him, "What about Theo, and gramma, and Meemaw, and Uncle Georgie?"

"Theo will be coming too," Amy smiled. "But everyone else is going to stay here. We'll come visit them and they can come to California to see us. Plus, you can FaceTime them whenever you want."

"What about my toys?" Of course, that would be one of the main concerns for the kindergartener.

This time it was Sheldon who smiled at his nephew before replying, "We'll pick your favorites to bring with us right away. Gramma and Uncle Georgie will help us by sending more of your stuff after we get there. We can only take what fits in our suitcases. You can help Theo pick the toys he wants to bring, too."

"I can do that," Levi started to get up from where he was squished between his aunt and uncle. Turning back, he inquired, "Am I going to have to share a room with Theo at your house?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "We need to talk about that. Our apartment is even smaller than this one. You'll probably have to sleep on the couch at first, but it will be fun, I promise."

"Okay. Can I pick my toys to bring with?"

Sheldon nodded, "Sure. We'll let you know when dinner is ready." Turning his attention to the younger child who had found his way to Amy while they were talking, he encouraged him to join his brother, "Do you want to pick out some toys, too?" He vigorously shook his head, indicating he had no interest in his toys. "Okay, how about you help me with dinner?"

Sheldon watched Amy make her way around his sister's kitchen with a sixteen-month-old either on her hip. Getting up from where he was still sitting on the couch when it looked like dinner was almost ready, he set the table before approaching Amy who had her back to him. Slipping his arms around her waist, she craned her head back to look at him. "What are you doing?"

"I love you," he placed a kiss on her cheek before tapping his finger on Theo's nose, "And I love you. I'll let Levi know to wash up" Sheldon made his way down the hallway to his nephews' room. "Time to wash your hands for dinner," he announced, turning the corner into the room. The sight before him was not what he was expecting. Levi was in the middle of his room with piles of toys surrounding him. He was crying. Rushing to the boy, Sheldon stepped around the mess and lowered himself to the floor, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Levi clung to Sheldon in the same manner he had the first few nights after he learned his mother died. "I don't want to move."

"I know," the physicist rubbed Levi's back in an attempt to comfort him. "Moving is scary and your mom just died and you're feeling a lot of things."

"I miss my mom so much," he sobbed.

This was a conversation Sheldon had with Levi every few days for the past three weeks. "It's okay to be sad or upset about everything. I remember how upset I was when my dad died. You can come to me anytime you're feeling this way. Amy, too. It's okay to want to be alone sometimes, and we'll let you be alone when you need it, but we don't want you to hide in your room whenever you're missing your mom."

"Did you stop feeling sad after your dad died?"

"Yeah," Sheldon nodded to himself. "I still miss him all the time, but it does get better."

Levi's sobs had quieted, "When are we moving?"

"We don't know exactly, but it won't be for at least a few days. You'll be able to see your friends at school before we leave. Your dad wants to see you before then, too. And this isn't forever, just until your dad is able to take care of you."