Hello to all you Warpers out there! My name's Katie and this is my first official submission to the MPAS fandom! I haven't actually posted a fanfic in years so I'm really rusty, but the feels this movie has given me are just too much to contain! Basically, this is a look into the official adoption process Peabody had to go through before adopting Sherman. If all goes as planned, this one-shot will be a series of one-shots titled Peabody's Probable Adoption Process, all surrounding Peabody's fight for custody of Sherman. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Mrs. Norton, my OC.

This was the strangest case she'd ever received. And, after working as a social worker in New York City for sixteen years, Clara Norton had seen her far share of unusual cases. Her manicured nails flipped through the manila file as the taxi neared her destination, scanning the fine print for anything she might have missed. No, it was all there, it just wasn't nearly enough.

From the looks of it, this "Mr. Peabody" qualified just fine for adoption. If anything he was over-qualified. Holder of multiple-degrees, awarded humanitarian, Nobel-prize winning scientist, and in possession of several lucrative stocks, the guy seemed too good to be true. Mrs. Norton would've wondered if her co-workers were playing an incredibly elaborate trick on her had it not been for the federal agent that had come all the way from Washington D.C. a week ago to give her this case.

"Please understand Mrs. Norton that this case is very unique and, as such, certain measures must be taken into effect for the sake of providing a clean-cut court case."

"I don't see how this justifies such a significant lack of personal information." She'd replied, scanning the files she'd been given. "No birth certificate, driver's license, heath statements, not even a picture. I'm sorry sir but I can't qualify this man as a candidate for adoption."

"Please Mrs. Norton, bear with us," prompted the agent. "This is a highly unusual case and the court felt that a double blind interview would produce the fairest results." God only knows what he'd meant by that. "You'll receive the rest of the personal information after you mean with the client."

Well inevitably her curiousity had gotten the best of her and Mrs. Norton had reluctantly agreed. Absently-mindedly adjusting her reading glasses, the middle aged woman flipped through the files for a final time before admitting defeat and stuffing them back into her worn briefcase. It wasn't the information itself that bothered her, but the lack of information. She knew almost nothing of the man she was about to interview. Still, at least there was no criminal record...

"Which building is it again ma'am?" asked the driver over his shoulder. "38th an' 9th?"

"38th and 10th actually," she answered, "Now how much do I owe you?"

One transaction later, Mrs. Norton was standing at the corner of 38th and 10th, staring up one of the taller skyscrapers in the city. According to her file, Peabody lived at the top. Walking up the building's entrance, and pressing the intercom button, she waited until the speaker cracked to life, bringing with it a crisp, cultured voice. "Ah Mrs. Norton. Promptly on time I see? Splendid! Come right on up, the elevator is open."

The journey to the top of the building was not a quiet one, as questions buzzed through Mrs. Norton's head. Who on earth was this person and why all the secrecy surrounding him? As the elevator slowed to a stop, she smoothed the lapel of her jacket and tucked her reading glasses into her briefcase, determined to greet this person looking every bit the professional the state required her to be. However, as the steel doors slid open, Mrs. Norton was surprised to come face to face with the empty space of an apartment.

"Excuse me Mrs. Norton, but could you lower you gaze slightly? I'm down here." Jumping slightly at the voice, the older woman's eyes flew to its source. It was a… a…

Her mind drew a complete and utter blank. It looked like a dog but that was completely ridiculous of course. After all it was stating on two legs and wearing a suit jacket bowtie and glasses. Her mind from again, processing that last thought. Was she drunk? She didn't feel drunk, after all she'd only shared some beer with her husband last night. Dreaming maybe…

"-thought this might happen. Now I know this might be a bit shocking for you madame."

The confused haze cleared slightly as she realized it was speaking to her. Imagine that, a talking dog. "W-what…?" she managed to stutter out.

"Oh, dear" The dog muttered to himself, fiddling his bowtie nervously. "I haven't had this extreme a reaction in years. Perhaps you better sit down." He kindly gestured to the couch, taking care to give her space.

Eye's never leaving the bizarre sight in front of her; Mrs. Norton quietly made her way to the couch, legs nearly giving out underneath her as she lowered himself down. Slowly but surely her brain was starting to catch up to the rest of her. Well, she most certainly wasn't drunk and she wasn't asleep, so that only left on option.

"I assure you, Mrs. Norton, that I am real" the dog interjected, regaining some of his composure as he folded his front paws behind his back. "My name is Mr. Peabody and I am a literate canine or intelligent dog, whichever you prefer." He cleared his throat nervously before pressing on. "As I said before I thought my appearance might be a bit of a shock to you and I do apologize for that. Usually I am able to warn visitors in advance but the courts and I decided that we didn't want to contend with a preconceived bias before you even arrived. But I did prepare in advance for this sort of thing."

Turning to the coffee table, the dog poured steaming hot liquid into two mugs from an elaborately decorated Chinese tea pot she hadn't even noticed before. "Now this is a Chinese Carnation tea, wonderful for relaxing the senses and putting one's mind at ease," he informed her, holding out one of the mugs to her. Not wanting to appear rude, Mrs. Norton took it, murmuring a quick "thank you" and trying not to think too hard as to how Peabody was able to pick it up in the first place with no opposable thumbs.

"It's the most common of all the Chinese flower teas, but I think that is, in-part, due to the simplici-tea of its design." He startled to chuckle at the bad pun but it died in his throat as he saw her still tense posture. "Right…" he muttered quietly to himself, taking a quick sip of the tea before setting it back down. "I apologize for my rambling Mrs. Norton. I suppose I'm just a little nervous about this home study examination. I've never done anything like this before, but I assure you Mrs. Norton that I am more than capable of being an adoptive guardian." He ended with a confident, can-do tone, but Mrs. Norton could see the anxiety etched into those green eyes.

Suddenly, something in her mind clicked back into place. Maybe it was the calming tea, or maybe it was just those eyes, that posture. Mrs. Norton had seen that hopeful uncertainty in so many of her clients. After all, it was that want and desire to care for a child that had inspired her to take this job in the first place. What stood before her was a talking dog, yes, but he was also someone who wanted a shot at adoption. Her brain could work with that, she would just have to make peace with the talking dog bit somewhere down the line.

"W-w-well that is very reassuring to hear Mr. Peabody," she started, rising from her seat and readjusting her jacket. "It's always good to see potential parents confident in their abilities." As the words continued to flow they became more reassuring as she slipped into her usual interview routine. There was nothing strange or unusual about this, she kept mentally telling herself. Peabody was just another client. "I'm just here to make sure that both you and your environment are suitable to raise a young child as defined by the State of New York."

Mr. Peabody's expression brightened at the professional tone of her voice, happy to find something he was familiar with. "I am more than happy to oblige you Mrs. Norton. You'll need to see my references of course…" He pulled a large manila envelope off the coffee table and handed it to her. "I do hope these will be satisfactory," Her eyes widened as she took in its sheer size. There had to be at least fifty pages with of recommendation sandwiched between the flimsy file and… was that a presidential seal?

"Oh and the agency said you'd also need a short auto biography, so here it is. Nothing much, just a few short words about my life and a few of my more notable accomplishments." She nearly crumpled under the weight of the fully-bound tome that had been placed on the precarious stack of references.

"Now let's see you have the references, autobiography, financial statements, and I forwarded my health statements to the agency yesterday. What else I am I missing...?" Peabody muttered to himself, the beagle bounced nervously on the balls of his paws while the Mrs. Norton was trying hard not to stagger under the enormous load of paper in her arms. "Oh yes! Where are my manners? You haven't seen the house yet." The papers nearly when flying as Peabody leap up to take her hand, pulling her along for the tour of his abode.

After an hour of being led around the tastefully furnished, penthouse by her energetic host, Mrs. Norton felt that she was slowly coming to terms with the notion of a talking dog. She also now knew more about the history of post-modern architecture and the art of feng shui than she had ever wanted to know.

"As you can see I have completely child-proofed my home, but in the event of any given emergency I can assure you I am more than equipped to handle any problem that might arise. After all, as you can clearly see in my file my EMT certification is up to date" He rambled on nervously. "All-in-all I'm sure this home will serve as an ideal learning environment for Sherman as he grows and develops-"

"Sherman?" she questioned, she hadn't recalled there being a Sherman mentioned in any of her files.

Peabody's face soon mirrored her puzzled expression. "Well I knew some information was being purposefully withheld until now but… Well never mind," he said, dismissing the thoughts with a wave of his paw. "Sherman is the young ward I wish to adopt," he explained. "Roughly five months old, he is temporarily residing at the HardRock orphanage." Peabody frowned, the word "orphanage" catching distastefully on his tongue. "But, if all goes as planned that should be rectified soon enough."

Well this case just kept getting more and more strange. Rarely did Mrs. Norton ever have a client who had already chosen the child they wished to adopt. Most of the time it was her job to select a handful of young children to see who would be the best match with her client. She made a quick mental note to try and pull up this boy's file when she arrived back to her office. As she thought this, another part of her mind reeled backwards at the implications of Peabody's request for adoption. Was it right for a dog to adopt an infant? But then, hadn't she chosen to see Mr. Peabody has just another client? Hadn't this been the point of sending her into this case blind, to be objective?

"And here is the last room of my home." Mrs. Norton returned from her troubled thoughts, turning her attention to Mr. Peabody as he pressed on with the tour, opening the last door in the hallway. "I believe this would be a suitable room for a growing boy."

Sunlight streamed through a large window, illuminating the room in a soft golden glow. In the center stood a cradle and, above it, a mobile of planets circled. The light from the window caught the spheres as they moved, casting shadows playfully into the soft rug. Mrs. Norton also noticed the vast array and variety of developmental children's toys scattered throughout the room. There were building blocks with the periodic elements printed on them, small, foam toys in the shapes of atoms and poly-decahedrons, and an activity table with all the stars and constellations written on the surface. Mrs. Norton chuckled as she noticed all the little touches of himself Peabody had given the room. She also found herself floored by his extreme foresight. If she remembered her developmental psychology correctly, Peabody had at least planned up to age 5.

"It's a bit much, I suppose" Peabody murmured softly, wringing his paws as he stepped into the room. Neurotically the beagle placed a small teething ring into a nearby plastic bin as he passed it. "I just want Sherman to have his best chance." A quiet intensity flickered in Peabody's eyes before he cleared his throat once more, his professional calm back in place. "As I was saying, I hope my home meets the state standards Mrs. Norton. Given the unprecedented nature of my court case it is imperative that I jump through all the hoops, so to speak," he chuckled humorlessly. Even Mr. Peabody couldn't cover the hint of weariness at those last few words.

Mrs. Norton's eyes softened, starting to appreciate the difficulty of Peabody's situation. Judging by her own initial reaction, Mrs. Norton surmised the courts hadn't reacted well when Peabody had first proposed his idea of adopting Sherman. "It must be difficult for you, facing all this opposition," she intoned quietly. Technically she was supposed to conduct a personal interview during the examination process and now was as good a time as ever.

Again, Peabody dismissed her concern with a wave of his paw. "It's nothing I haven't handled before Mrs. Norton. Being able to care for Sherman will be well worth any complications the courts throw at me."

She gave him a polite smile before going back through her files. "Well, Mr. Peabody we've nearly finished the first stage of your home-study examination. I would just like to ask you a few more questions."

"Oh! Of course."

Placing her files on one of the small tables, Mrs. Norton lowered her long frame into one of the pint sized chairs, gesturing for Peabody to do the same. The dog shot her a bemused look. "Wouldn't the main room be more accommodating for you Mr. Norton."

Mrs. Norton smiled politely but shook her head. "If it's all the same to you Mr. Peabody I'd rather conduct my interview in here."

Based on what she's observed, her client's wall of detached professionalism was at its weakest here. In the sixteen years she'd worked in social services, Mrs. Norton had always prided herself on being able to subtly bring out the true nature of her clients and, at times, that meant interviewing them at their most vulnerable. A child's wellbeing was Mrs. Norton's top priority, and she took this task very seriously. After all, it was up to her to deem an adoptive parent worthy of guardian ship. Sometimes, she was the only thing standing between a child and a potentially abusive household. And, if sixteen years working in social services taught her one thing, it was that a potential parent showed their true colors at their most vulnerable.

Pulling out her reading classes and notepad from the worn briefcase, Mrs. Norton casually gestured Peabody to sit. The dog obliged, sitting in another pint-sized chair, which, much to his chagrin, seemed to fit his small frame perfectly.

"Mr. Peabody, in your own words could you tell me a little bit about Sherman?" Mrs. Norton asked, interested to see what this question could reveal about her strange client.

"Ah… Well…" Peabody started, his paws nervously readjusting his glasses as he thought. Clearly this was not a question he'd been prepared for. "I suppose he's a perfectly healthy infant with a cheerful temperament. However I'd say he's a great deal more intelligent than your average baby…" The dog's eyes softened as he continued to ramble, his shoulder's relaxing visibly. "He's smart as a whip you know! He always seems to recognize me when I visit."

"You visit him?"

"Yes, I try to be at the Orphanage twice a week, Monday and Fridays mostly. I'm not allowed to stay very long unfortunately," Peabody's tone soured. "Ms. Hamish, the home supervisor, is not the most agreeable woman. But I stay as long as I'm allowed, just reading to him. He seems to enjoy the sound of my voice." Mrs. Nelson could've sworn she saw a tinge of red under Peabody's white fur as he continued. "Of course that's foolish. I've surmised Sherman to be roughly five months and that's hardly the age where a child learns object permanence. He's probably forgotten about me the minute I've left the room." Taking a moment to clear out a sudden lump in his throat, Peabody continued. "He's also got quite a grip on him. I'm not sure but I think the length of my ears has been permanently altered thanks to all of Sherman's tugging..."

Mrs. Nelson listened as Peabody rambled, occasionally taking notes here and there in her notepad. But as the canine genius continued, Mrs. Nelson was finding it harder and harder to remain objective. A real smile was rapidly replacing the polite one as her eyes crinkled with suppressed laughter. But the interview was not over yet.

"If you don't mind me asking Mr. Peabody, why are you so intent on adopting Sherman and not just any other child?"

The question stopped Peabody in his tracks, muzzle frowning in concentration. "Well, I suppose to answer that; you'd have to know how I first found Sherman. You see I'd been walking home from a meeting at the UN and it started to rain…"

The last vestiges of Mrs. Norton's objectivity were beginning to fray as Mr. Peabody told her how he'd found Sherman lost and alone in a cardboard box, how he'd rushed back to his home to feed, clean, and care for the abandoned infant, How he'd been so in over his head, and how he'd made his decision that very night:

"Come what may I was determined to adopt Sherman," The statement was so clear cut and matter-of-fact, the dog might as well been explaining the sky was blue.

Despite her shaken resolve, Mrs. Norton was determined to challenge Peabody's statement. "But are you prepared for the implications of this adoption Mr. Peabody?" She looked down across her reading glasses at him. "You said it yourself that this is a completely unprecedented case, which means it will meet with some heavy opposition." Her words were cool and matter of fact. "And I hope you realize that, if you win custody, your life and Sherman's might become a media circus. Are you prepared to raise a child in these conditions?"

The space between them was dead quiet as Peabody sat deep in thought, his expression unreadable.

Now Mrs. Norton knew she was only doing her job. These were relevant questions that would inevitably need to be answered. Personally, she'd rather they be answered by her client here than in family court. However that didn't stop it from feeling a certain wave of guilt at Peabody's hunched form. In truth, he was probably a better candidate for adoption than most of her human clientele.

After a few more moments of deafening silence, Peabody finally spoke. "In truth Mrs. Norton," he started, a reluctant waver in his voice, "I don't know how this will affect Sherman in the long term or myself for that matter. Given my unique circumstances and intellect I have always been a subject of media fascination, but bringing a young boy under such scrutiny? Yes, Mrs. Norton I have thought of these implications and I'm sorry to say that I'm not certain if this is what's best for Sherman."

The older woman's eyes widened slightly, eyebrows lifting towards her hairline. There had been many words Mrs. Norton has been expecting to hear from Peabody, but "I don't know" certainly hadn't been one of them.

"But I do know this." Peabody continued unabashedly, his eyes now meeting hers with the utmost sincerity. "When I was young, what I wanted more than anything else in the world was a home. All my life I've wanted someone to want me for me." He wrung his paws together nervously but stayed his ground, maintaining eye contact. "And when I found Sherman… When Sherman found me" he amended quietly. "I looked into those eyes… and I saw myself."

He took a shuddering breath before pressing on once more. "Mrs. Norton, I don't know if I'm the right person to be Sherman's guardian, but I do know he'd be better off with me than at that orphanage. I'm willing to give him what he needs most: a home."

The silence was palpable as Peabody, doing everything in his power to stay calm watched Mrs. Norton intently as she wrote something down in her notepad. Her face was hidden in shadow as the last light of day shown through the window, the skyline of New York City a vibrant orange and pink.

There was no doubt in Peabody's mind that he blew it, botched the job, and damaged irrevocably his chances of ever adopting the child that had singlehandedly taken his heart. What kind of parental candidate openly tells a social worker that he doesn't know what he's doing?

Finally, Mrs. Norton stood up, and smoothed the creases out of her Jacket, and closed the small notebook. Then, leaning over and picking up the massive stack of files and the worn briefcase, the older woman stated simply: "Well Mr. Peabody, I believe this concludes your home study examination." Her expression was still unreadable as Peabody, led her back into the foyer, his own nerves building up faster than vinegar and sodium bicarbonate.

Finally, the silence reached its breaking point. "Mrs. Norton, I apologize if I have said anything to offend you but I can assure-" but Mrs. Norton cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hand, causing the beagle to deflate.

"Mr. Peabody I have been working in social services for sixteen years, with twelve of those years spent specializing in adoptions, and I have conducted my fair share of personal interviews. I have seen many a candidate try and fail to understand what it means to be a parent. But as for you Mr. Peabody"

Peabody tried to hold himself with as much dignity he could muster in the face of defeat. But, to his surprise, Mrs. Norton stooped down and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Sherman would be lucky to have a father like you."

Mrs. Norton could've laughed at the shocked expression on her client's face. She may have needed a few moments to collect her thoughts, but, truthfully, the social worker's mind had been made up since Peabody answered her last question. Now there was no doubt in her mind that Sherman would be going to a good home and that was all that mattered.

"Let me get this straight Mrs. Norton." The still stunned beagle began. "Can I count on your testimony during the court proceedings?"

Mrs. Norton gave Peabody another warm smile and held out her hand. "Please, call me Clara. And yes, I promise you, Mr. Peabody, that I will do everything in my power to help you gain custody of Sherman."

Mr. Peabody returned her gesture in spades, shaking her hand as his tail wagged a mile a minute. "Thank you so much Mrs- Clara. And please, feel free to call me Peabody."

BTW, this story will also be posted to Tumblr under the username Katielynn526. Also, if anyone has any interesting facts or insights about the adoption process of NY state please feel free to message me.

Sincerely,

Katie