Disclaimer: I do not own The Big Bang Theory.

Chapter 1. Call from Home

"Shelly, please" Missy pleaded "Junior ain't got much left"

"Missy, I cannot fathom how I can help our older brother, Junior brought this upon himself. He should have thought of his family first!" Sheldon's was shaking his head from the other side, his face pale, and the palm holding the phone is sweaty.

He hated this, he truly hated this. But more than that, Sheldon hated his brother more. And now, they're asking for his help.

"He is thinking about them now! I can't do it, we're incompatible. Only daddy and you two are same."

"I am not- I ca- I don't want to!" With that, the young physicist slammed the phone back.

It rang a minute later. He pulled the cord viciously to disconnect.

It was George Jr's fault. Bull fighting. Of all the career moves that he could've taken, this topped it. He's decided to ride a bull for a living and proven that he is his father's son.

Of all his childhood tormentors, Jr. was one of the top five. And now the brute needed his help.

His musings were interrupted when Penny barged in, no doubt trying to loot free coffee again. He observed her, waiting to see how many minutes it'll take to notice his presence.

"Sheldon!" She gasped, clutching the cup to her chest. "You scared me! what were you doing skulking around there?"

"Observing the time it would take for you to notice me." He raised an eyebrow sardonically.

"Oh, well don't just stand there. You want any?" She raised the coffee pot.

"No, thank you" He walked to the counter and sat down.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't get it. Why do you always make a full batch if you ain't gonna drink some?"

Sheldon winced at her butchering the english language. "I do not like drinking coffee, high caffeine so early in the morning will only disrupt my daily nutrition intake and my cicardian rhythm."

"So why do you make them large?" she shook the full coffee pot in his direction.

"Because you are always here, *stealing* the coffee, resulting in insufficient morning beverage for Leonard and I, thus, I have decided to simply adjust the quantity to accommodate all three of us"

He raised an eyebrow again in her direction and for a moment, Penny was speechless. She never realized that Sheldon has taken the time and money to adjust shopping for coffee grounds and making the beverage for her benefit.

"I- um thank you, sweetie" She really didn't know what else to say. Sheldon may be condescending, an ass at times, childish but one thing has always been clear. He takes great care of his friends—something that she can't really say about the rest of the boys.

Penny never actually considered it seriously but that so-called prank in the Arctic should have been enough to cut all ties with the three but Sheldon stuck it with them. Even Raj who depended on Sheldon's research funding was spared the actual consequence of their actions.

It made the tall genius more endearing in her eyes.

"You're really a sweetie, Moonpie" she whispered softly.

But that wasn't really possible with Sheldon's vulcan-like hearing. "Only Meemaw calls me Moonpie"

"Sheldon, we're gonna head out now!" Leonard called out, towing Penny by her elbows. They were still in the process of beta dating and the homunculus has been more possessive than usual.

Sheldon didn't even look up, he simply shook his head and started typing furiously.

A Skype call interrupted his research. It was an anonymous account. He weighed on whether to answer it or not. At first, he merely ignored the incessant noise, cancelling the call but after the fifth ring, he felt helpless and so he clicked 'enter' accidentally accepting the call.

It was a little girl… who had blue eyes.

"Who are you?"

The girl swallowed nervously, from her features, Sheldon pegs her age to be between 5 and 7.

"I'm your niece, Sue Ellen!" She smiled, bobbing her head.

"Oh! of course, Sue Ellen, what brings you online and to my computer?"

"I heard Auntie Missy, she said that you could help my Daddy! Can you help my daddy, Uncle Shelly?"

"I- I do not know how to answer you"

"Sue Ellen!" A foreign voice exclaimed. Two seconds later, a red head came on screen. "Are you messin' with th' PC again!"

"I just wanted to talk to Uncle Shelly to helping Daddy!" Defended the little girl.

"Oh, don't you do that! your uncle is very busy and shouldna' be disturbed." The red head looked at the screen and paused to send him a scowl before logging off.

That was weird.

Penny was exhausted. After another beta-date test with Leonard, she almost called it quits. The restaurant was nice enough; it was Italian and she loved carbs in all forms but it was also quite predictable. Italian, really!?

It didn't help the smug look Leonard sported going into the restaurant, as if to display her to full effect. She's more than that and recently, she feels that Leonard was part of the problem of more and more of her problems.

His views of her elevate her confidence but at the same time, limits her space. It's as if the more he sees her as the gorgeous blonde neighbour with limited prospects, the more she tries to remain within those parameters. Sheldon, for all his rudeness has always been perplexed when Penny suggests that she couldn't do something and that makes her work triple hard to actually achieve it.

So after a mediocre date, with Leonard trying to be amusing and charming with little success, they ended it on a flat nose. A peck and they decided to just call it a night.

An hour after getting in, Penny hears Sheldon's signature knock.

When she opened the door, Sheldon looked remarkably awake for 10p.m. and somewhat nervous.

"May I come in?" He asked somewhat breathlessly, holding his laptop to his broad chest? What the- Either she drank too much red juice in that dingy restaurant or she's lacking sleep. Either way, she might be hallucinating because when did Sheldon—all versions of him— have a studly chest?

Though come to think of it, she has noticed that those biceps has become thicker. Hmmm.

"Penny, given my um somewhat limited experience of familial norms and customs, I feel behooved to seek your expertise on this particularly minuscule matter"

It took a couple of seconds, by couple, Penny meant 50 seconds in total to get what Sheldon just said. "So you need my help with your fam?"

"Yes, that is what I just said. Keep up, Penny! I have recently been requested to extend more than just financial assistance to my immediate family"

Penny stopped, awed a bit. She knew that Sheldon's family wasn't as well off as Leonard's but it still came as a surprise that he admitted to giving money—however involuntary it was said.

"What do they want then?"

"My brother has recently taken on a very ill-advised career path. I believe that a decade as a menial worker at one of the oil companies has driven him to desperation, resulting in him taking on bull riding"

"Wh- what!? Bull riding?" Penny almost spilled her tea.

"Yes and now he needs to have an operation and a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, I am the only one that is of the same or should I say compatible biology"

"So… are you asking what?"

"I refused. Obviously" He then proceeded to tell her about Missy's call and the mysterious Skype from his niece.

"What!? Sheldon, that's family! you don't turn your back on family! and would it really kill you to donate?"

"It will greatly inconvenience me and I am in the midst of a breakthrough. Helping my brother has already cost me my comic books to dwindle from 150 per semester to 70 per semester, that's more than half, Penny!"

Penny grabbed his arm and stronghold him to her couch. "Sheldon, my brother is a juvenile criminal that's in and out of local prison and rehabs but I would gladly drop everything to donate my kidney if needed because that's what families do for each other. And that goes the same for you" She poked him on his 'broad' chest.

"I'm not sure we have the same family, Penny. My brother has turned his back on the family long before this injury. He abandoned Mama, Missy, Meemaw after we turned our backs on my drunken father. He idolized him. All 190lbs of spitting, drink binging, adulterous texan. He didn't understand how we could turn our back on family but what Junior didn't realize was that they both turned their backs on the family first!"

It was the first time that Sheldon spoke so plainly and passionately about something other than physics.

"But still… Sheldon, doesn't that make it more important for you to step up now? You told me that your niece called you. Your five-year old niece!"

"Seven"

At Penny's look. Sheldon defended. "What? she could also be seven. My brother never really talked too much about his life after he got married. We haven't talked in 10 years, Penny!"

"So, it's okay for you to give up blood, sweat, and even your sanity for a stupid film or comic book but not for your family? That is really screwed up"

"You don't know what it's like, Penny! Living with someone like Junior. Both my father and brother made fun… no, had fun with people who didn't confer to their lifestyle. It was sweet relief to be out of that house and not under their influence and presence"

"So that makes it easier to turn your back now!? It's not just Junior anymore Sheldon. By doing this, you're also betraying your twin sister, your mother, your Meemaw, and even your niece! The guy that I've know for more than 5 years now will never do that!"

Sheldon was quiet. "So, you truly believe that I need to do this?"

"Yes"

"I would need… time to think about this"

Penny smiled gently. Sheldon oftentimes appeared callous and cold but once you explained it to him, he usually does the right thing. "You know what I think? I think that you came here because you've already decided to do it and you just needed me to confirm it. I know you, Moonpie. Even as I'm saying it now, you're already halfway there"

His lips turned up a bit before he disappeared back to his apartment.

The next day, Sheldon was walking briskly to Dr. Gablehauser's office. A folded envelope in his hand. It took him 10 drafts and five roundabout the university before he could actually give his notice.

"Dr. Gablehauser, I am here with a personal request"

Gablehauser looked up a bit worriedly. Every time he encountered the young Cooper has been a trial for his patience. It didn't help that the kid was the most intellectually gifted of the lot and he knew it. But despite the unsuccessful and humiliating ordeal with the Arctic, Gablehauser still believed that Sheldon Cooper was the best chance that Caltec had for getting the next Nobel prize.

The genius never mentioned anything but Gablehauser suspected that it had something to do with his best mates but so long as Sheldon never talked about it, they were at an impasse.

"What is it?"

"I am here to submit my application for a sabbatical"

"Sabbatical! Cooper, now is not really a good time to do that! You are just earning your reputation back, stopping now would signal negatively to your peers"

"It cannot be helped. After consulting with experts, I have gleaned that this is the correct course of action. It is family-related, Dr. Gablehauser. My family in Texas and I do not hope for your understanding in the matter. Either way, you may consider this an application for sabbatical or a resignation. I will be away for the better part of the year to repair some family matter regardless of your decision."

Gablehauser looked up perplexed. Always. This kid just didn't know how to ask nicely but then again, you don't need to be nice when your this intelligent like young Dr. Cooper.

"I will give you a year. Go beyond it and I'm posting for vacancy the day after."

Cooper didn't say anything, merely nodded before turning his back.

"I am leaving."

Conversation ceased. The three guys were debating on the semantics with the latest news that they were going to make a Batman series called 'Gotham' and the talk shifted from the boy Bruce to the name of the series.

"For Galveston. On the morrow. Leonard, I apologize for the short notice but I am invoking Section 4 Para 3 of the roommate agreement on emergencies."

"What emergency!?" Leonard exclaimed standing up.

"I have just heard from my twin sister, Missy that my brother's condition has worsened and my immediate presence and cooperation is needed immediately in Dallas GH. The operation and subsequent recovery will take closer to a year. I have arranged with the University to grant me a Sabbatical for that long. I will, of course, miss our nightly conversations and movies and takeouts, however, as I have recently learned; this is a non-debatable social responsibility. And as I believed myself to be a Southern gentleman, I will heed the advice of the expert in this group on matters of social protocols."

Penny was speechless for a lot of reasons. First, because he didn't say how long he had to be gone, second, because he actually followed her advise, and lastly but more importantly, that Sheldon considered her the 'expert' on something among a group of scientists.

"So… you'll be gone for over a year, Sheldon? This also violates our relationship agreement."

"I am aware, Amy. I apologize as well and invoking Section 10 of our agreement. I believe that we can no longer continue with this relationship."

Amy stood up, alarmed "But I am willing to wait and continue through long-distance relationship"

"But that is neither fair to you or me. With the family at the forefront of my mind, continuing on would be unfair. I cannot in good conscience be distracted"

"But-"

"It is already done, Amy and I hope that you will respect my decision"

"This was without consultation with me Sheldon. It was very clear in the relationship agreement that everything would be discussed prior to any decisions"

"Yes but Section 10, paragraph 11, bullet 19, and sub-bullet 8 states that in case of emergencies of either party; an immediate decision does not need to be debated or aired to the other party"

Penny was getting a bit annoyed with her so-called 'bestie,' what the hell is wrong with the girl!? She knew that it was abrupt but trying to push yourself into the relationship at the cost of family just looks done in poor taste.

It also shocked Penny. Sheldon never mentioned that he was going to be gone for a year! She thought that he'll just visit for a week or two, do the procedure and come back. But a year was unexpected.

But she will be the most supportive one in this group when standing by family.

"I think it's good Sheldon, family should always come first." Penny stands up and leans over to kiss his cheek.

The small smile that appears is heartening.

Her wackadoodle was going to be okay. She'll make sure of it.

End of Chapter 1