Author's Note: This was originally going to be a oneshot, just sort of a slice of life story about Amy living a double life of having a boyfriend while dipping herself into dangerous waters by getting involved with the one and only brilliance that is Sheldon Cooper. However, my imagination decided to take this idea and completely run away with it, so it's now turned into a full-blown multichapter fic.

I hope you'll enjoy this forbidden Shamy tale with me, in which a fair amount of emotional turmoil will ensue on both ends. Don't worry, though, there will also be some humor and fluff thrown in for good measure. Just please keep in mind that this is an AU fic, meaning that anything that deviates from the show is intentional.

Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory © Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady

Amy's heart pounded fiercely in her chest. She exhaled a heavy sigh through her thinly parted lips and reached for her glass of red wine on the table. She picked it up and twirled the liquid inside the clear glass before raising it to her lips and taking a few long, heavy gulps. The wine was light, smooth and just a little sweet, her personal preference over the rich, woody taste of a more expensive darker wine.

She forced herself to stop after three consecutive gulps, hurriedly slamming the glass back down on the table with a bit too much force, causing a droplet of the crisp red wine to jump out of the glass and land on the white linen table cloth. A deep blush coated Amy's cheeks as she scooped up the cloth napkin from her lap and draped it over the stain. The red blotch was a blatant sign of her nervousness, and she didn't want to have to stare at it for the rest of the evening.

It had been only two minutes since her date had excused himself to use the facilities, but to Amy, it might as well have been an eternity. She let out a small sigh and brought her hands up to rest them on top of the table. The restaurant had a quiet atmosphere, but it didn't help calm Amy's nerves. She stared at the untouched bread basket, debating whether or not to take one. Was it rude to start eating when your date was in the bathroom? She wished she knew the protocol. It definitely didn't help that this was her first real date in over ten years.

Dating didn't come easy to a woman like Amy Farrah Fowler. Boys tended to go for the prettier, not to mention bustier, girls rather than the intellectual, socially inept types like herself. In fact, the closest thing Amy had ever had to a so-called boyfriend was during the spring semester of her freshman year as an undergraduate. The guy she'd fallen for was a smooth talker, majoring in exercise science. He needed a certain amount of science courses in order to fulfill his prerequisites, which was how he and Amy had ended up in the same biology class together. He would talk to her occasionally and then, one day, seemingly out of the blue, he'd asked her out. She'd initially thought it was some sort of cruel practical joke, but he'd assured her that it wasn't, that he found her intelligence "sexy."

As it turned out, the real reason he'd asked her out and later even agreed to be her boyfriend was because he wanted her to do his biology lab work for him. And Amy, being young and insecure, not to mention enjoying the first real attention that she'd ever received from the opposite sex that didn't turn out to be completely awkward, had accepted.

The relationship lasted nearly the entire semester, but during that time, the most action she'd gotten had been a few public hand holding sessions as they walked to their class from their dorms, and, on a lone, particularly desperate night, a deeply unpleasant make-out session. Amy had been turned off by kissing ever since that sloppy, saliva-filled nightmare. She cringed at the very memory of it, how his lips felt so slimy against hers, how he'd tried to cop a feel of her buttocks, and how she'd responded by giving him a much deserved clonk on the head.

From that moment on, she'd purposely distanced herself from men and dating. As an alternative, she focused on her studies all the way through graduate school, and after receiving her master's degree, she immediately went to work on her dissertation and obtained her PhD. Now, at thirty years old, her career in neurobiology was alive and thriving. She worked at UCLA, and it was there that she met the man she was currently out on a date with, David Drescoll.

Amy had seen him around the university over the past few months but had never approached him. It wasn't so much that he appeared to be unfriendly. He just always seemed to be occupied, whether it was eating lunch with his colleagues, grading his students' papers, or simply reading a book, Amy had always felt it an inopportune time to disturb him. Not only that, but with his appealing looks, she'd assumed that he'd had a girlfriend, or even a wife.

He was quite handsome, with golden blond hair and brown eyes so dark that they resembled a deep, blackened shade of charcoal. He had a cleft in his chin and dimples that were only noticeable when he smiled. He also wore a pair of sleek red glasses that added an air of sophistication to his appearance. Frankly, from all that Amy had gathered just by observing him over the past couple of months, he seemed like quite the charming, intelligent man, which was why she'd been completely thrown off when, upon talking to her for the very first time, he'd asked her out.

She'd tried not to sound so surprised when she responded, "Really?" When he just smiled at her, showing off those lovely dimples, she'd felt herself awestruck by how handsome he was, and she'd smiled back at him and nodded in acceptance.

Now, here she was, sitting by herself in an upscale restaurant, trying her hardest to ignore her growling stomach and her hammering heartbeat and just relax. Her hunger now seemed to be taking precedence over anything else she was feeling, and so, she finally gave in and reached for the bread basket, pulling out a piece of bread that was still warm to the touch. She brought it to her mouth and happily tore off a bite with her teeth, just as David finally returned to the table.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Amy," he said in his smooth voice. As he took his seat across from her, he looked at her and flashed an amused grin. "Digging into the bread already, huh?"

Amy swallowed, feeling her face heat up as she placed the half-eaten bread on her plate. "My apologies, David. I should've waited for you to return from the restroom before I began eating."

David let out a small chuckle as he reached into the bread basket himself. "I'm only teasing you," he assured her, biting into his own piece of bread.

Amy grinned in relief. She picked up her bread and tore off another piece, popping it into her mouth. As David finished off his piece, he picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. Amy watched as his Adam's apple bobbed gracefully as he swallowed.

"So," he said, placing the glass down and cupping his hands in front of him, "tell me, Amy, what do you like to do for fun? Are you the kind of person who likes to go out and party, or are you more of a homebody like me who'd rather sit on the couch reading a good book?"

"I never would've pegged you as a homebody," Amy noted, and when David briefly furrowed his eyebrows, she felt the need to clarify. "What I mean is, from what I've observed at the university, you're always in someone's company. Therefore, based on that evidence alone, one could logically infer that you seem to be more outgoing rather than introverted."

David smirked then, a mischievous half-smile that caused Amy to inadvertently suck in a small gasp of air. "You've been…observing me?" he asked coyly.

Amy's face ignited so fast and thoroughly that she felt the heat instantly spread all the way to her ears. This was not going as she'd hoped. She was making an utter fool of herself, and she needed to do some damage control quickly before she screwed things up even more. "No, I… Of course not. That would be downright absurd. I…I simply meant that you…" She bit her tongue as David started to chuckle lightly, which only caused her cheeks to flare up even more. She felt like the biggest idiot in the world. No wonder she never went out on dates. This was a huge mistake.

"Amy," David said, still laughing a little bit. He suddenly leaned over the table, clasping a strong hand over the back of her hand. She twitched involuntarily, glancing down at his hand, then back up into his smiling eyes. They were so warm and welcoming that she was finding it hard to look away in spite of her embarrassment. "You don't need to be so nervous around me. I'll save you all your worrying right now and tell you flat out that I like you, and I'm having a really nice time getting to know you."

In spite of everything, Amy found herself grinning. She could feel her heartbeat slowing down at last as she let out a long, soft sigh. Her shoulders relaxed and dropped slowly, as though the tension were literally melting off of her body.

"I'm very much enjoying getting to know you as well, David," she said, absorbing that simply mesmerizing, heart stopping smile of his. With a new surge of confidence rushing through her veins, Amy picked up her wine glass and held it up in a toast. "To a lovely first date."

David's wide, confident grin softened slightly, his eyes boring into hers. He gave her hand a tiny squeeze before releasing it and picking up his own wine glass. "To a lovely first date," he echoed, then added, "with a simply lovely woman."

Amy blushed again, though for an entirely different reason. As they lightly clinked the rims of their glasses together and each took sips of their wine, she finally let go of all her worries and took confidence in the fact that she could just be herself around him.

The Italian cuisine that Amy and David had consumed had been abundant and flavorful. Amy nursed her second glass of wine, being mindful not to drink it too quickly and risk doing something foolish. She so rarely drank alcohol that the first glass of wine had already done a sufficient job of providing her with a warm, tingling buzz in her head. She certainly wasn't looking to get drunk on the first date with a seemingly perfect man who could just as easily turn around and try to have his filthy way with her.

"David," Amy said. She set down her wine glass and looked at him straight on. The jubilant smile on his face dimmed slightly, perhaps from her stern tone, but she didn't allow that to hinder her from saying what she needed to say. "While I've enjoyed spending this time with you thus far, I now feel the need to ask you a straightforward question that will require a candid answer from you. Are you all right with that?"

David looked taken aback as his eyebrows shot up, but he held up his hand to gesture for her to continue. "Please, by all means," he said. "Ask away."

Amy took a deep breath and released it in a short sigh, bracing herself. She stared into David's eyes, searching for some signs of deceit or malice, but all she could see was that same warmth she'd been getting lost in over the past hour, coupled with slight apprehension now.

They'd discussed a number of topics, ranging from the research on her latest study, to what was clearly his favorite topic of discussion: Literature. She'd found herself deeply fascinated by his vast knowledge of the subject while he shared with her some of his favorite authors and poets. She supposed it only made sense that he'd be so passionate about the subject, given that he was an English professor.

She knew she was becoming quickly enamored with him, and before she could allow herself to become more emotionally invested, she needed to know what his true intentions were. She cleared her throat and straightened her posture, allowing her confidence to resurface as she asked him point-blank, "Is the reason you asked me out because you wish to engage in sexual intercourse with me?"

Thankfully, David hadn't been drinking his wine while she was asking that question, because judging by the cough he'd just emitted and the sheer shocked look on his face, he likely would've choked on it.

"E-Excuse me?" he asked, but Amy just waited as he took a moment to compose himself. "Well, um, since you've asked for an honest answer, I'll give you one. I'll admit that part of the reason I asked you out is because I find you attractive. That being said, you should know that I'm not the kind of guy to just jump into sex without being in a committed relationship. I've done it in the past, and I've found that all it leads to is broken hearts for both involved. So, to answer your question, no, I am by no means solely looking for a physical relationship."

"I appreciate your honesty," Amy said sincerely. "I only asked because I need you to know up front that I'm not some hussy looking to partake in a passing fling. Don't get me wrong, I find you attractive as well. Very attractive, actually, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to give in to that attraction anytime soon by getting, to use one of the endless sexual euphemisms, 'frisky' with you. I have boundaries that I feel mustn't be crossed until I'm completely comfortable and feel ready to move forward in the relationship."

The captivating grin returned to David's face as he replied, "And I respect the hell out of that, Amy Farrah Fowler."

Amy matched his smile with another one of her own. It stretched across her glowing face and remained there even as the heartwarming moment passed and David attempted to get the waiter's attention. She realized that this feeling of contentment wasn't about to go away anytime soon.

She was smitten.

Author's Note: So, there you have it. Amy's falling for a guy who isn't Sheldon. Thoughts on that? You'll get to know David more as the story progresses. Obviously, though, I know you're only reading this for the Shamy. Well, not to worry, because the mighty Sheldor will be making his first appearance in the next chapter. ;)