Amy woke up with a start, a fine chill crawling up her spine, she was used to night terrors this was different. Usually after a night terror she was sweaty and her sheets were bunched around her her as she thrashed. No this time she has been roused from a deep sleep by something.
Amy switches on her lamp and looks around without her glasses the room is foggy but she sees nothing out of place. Amy had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. She used to get the same feeling when Ricky was living with her. She would wake up to the monkey sitting on the edge of her bed. Staring at her with his beady little eyes his head cocked to the side like he was sizing her up. Amy switches off the light again but she has a hard time going back to sleep. Amy tells herself that she is being silly, as a neuroscientist she can explain the feelings she is having. It simply brain chemistry she tells herself. Still Amy tosses and turns until her alarm goes off and it is time to get up for work.
Sheldon has asked her to drive him to work today and usually that excites her but today she is dreading it. In her sleep deprived state she is in no mood to deal with his antics today or climb four flights of stairs. She knocks on his door and he pops out looking unusually cheery.
"You look happy this morning." Amy grouses.
"Yes, and why wouldn't I be, it is a lovely morning and I slept very well. Did you sleep well Amy?" Sheldon asks and Amy eyes him suspiciously.
"Were you in my apartment last night?" Amy asks him.
"Amy! Why in the world would I be in your apartment! Don't you think it would be a tad indecent for me to be in your apartment without your consent after dark." Sheldon chides.
"It would not be the first time you have snuck in there." Amy says still suspicious.
"That was different our relationship agreement states that I am allowed access to your apartment in a state of emergency." Sheldon says.
" I hardly think forgetting your Lego mini figure constitutes an emergency but OK." Amy says and Sheldon just gives her a look.
"Why would you think I was in there anyway?" he asks and Amy is almost to embarrassed to tell him.
"Oh, its nothing, I just had the feeling like I was being watched last night. I woke up in a panic and I could not get back to sleep." Amy tells him as they get inside her car.
"Why would you think that would that would mean I was in your apartment? Do you think I watch you in your sleep like some love lorn vampire out of that terrible movie you made me watch?" Amy cringes they had both regretted it when she picked that movie for movie night. Sheldon would not shut up about what terrible vampires they were. Then ridiculed Amy for encouraging the ill considered romance between them. Kind of takes the romance out of a movie when your boyfriend explains the physics of why such a dalliance would be improbable.
"No… I don't know I guess I just hoped that it was you and not something we else… By the way I still think going as vampires for Halloween would be an excellent choice. The party is coming up soon you are running out of time to make a decision." Amy tells him hoping to change the subject Sheldon makes a face they have already discussed and rejected vampires (the fake teeth tasted funny.)
"Amy do you think you were visited by a ghost? I hope you know as a scientist that ghosts are not real." Amy looks straight ahead a denial ready on her lips but Sheldon says "Ohh! that gives me an excellent idea we could go as Shaggy and Scooby Doo! Dibs on Shaggy!"
"Sheldon I told you before when you suggested we go as Mr. Sherman and Peabody I do not want to dress up as a dog." Amy says annoyed.
"Fine how about Shaggy and Velma?"
"No, they dress too close to our normal attire no one would understand that we were in costume. They would just think I was in a turtle neck and your shirt had no design on it. What about Fred and Daphne that would be cute."
"I suppose you are right plus it would take me more than a week to grow out a beard like his . Wearing an ascot around my neck all night sounds like hell and who ever heard of a Daphne in glasses. No yet again we seem to have reached an impasse." Sheldon sighs.
The rest of the car ride passes uneventfully and Amy buries herself in her work to forget about last night. The day passes quickly and before she knows it it Sheldon is knocking at her lab door.
"Are you ready to take me home?" he asks entering on the third knock.
"Sure just let me wash up." Amy drives him home and he invites her up stairs for a cup of tea. Amy does not know why he still bothers with the pretext of inviting her. They do it so often it has become routine that after bringing him home they share a cup of tea and discuss their days. Then if they are not eating dinner with the others, part ways . Amy has come to cherish these cozy moments between the two of them before Leonard gets home.
"Date night is tomorrow have you thought about what you want to do?" Sheldon asks her and Amy is pleasantly surprised Sheldon hardly ever brings up date night first.
"I thought we could have dinner at my place and maybe watch a movie there, your choice this time." Amy tells him and Sheldon smiles.
" That sounds good, consider it a date." They finish their cups and Amy gets up to go.
"Well I am tired, I did not get much rest last night so I am going to head home." Amy tells him flinging her purse around her shoulder. Sheldon gets up and follows her to the door. "Good night Sheldon."
"Good night Amy" Sheldon says then he hesitates before placing his hands on her waist and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips that is over to soon before shutting the door. Amy stands in the hallway for a moment stunned an unscheduled non date night kiss? To what did she bestow the honor? Maybe he got confused and with all talk about date night he thought it was date night? Who was she kidding Amy thinks as she trudges down the stairs he knew what he was doing she just wishes she knew why.
That night Amy has an excellent dream that involved Sheldon with his hair the way Penny styled it shirtless and sparkling.
"Amy!" the sound of her own name being hissed makes her wake up with a start.
Amy turns on the light grabs her glasses and jams them on her face. Her spin is still tingling and she knows that it is not a night terror she had been having the best dream. She looks around but sees nothing, Amy gets up and investigates the rest of the apartment. That's odd she thinks looking at her monkey statue it usually faced the other way didn't it? As she is looking at she sees it tremble and fall off the table by itself. Amy stares at the figure in disbelief then she hears a noise behind her the door to her bedroom which was partially open creaks slowly open the rest of the way then slams shut. The noise of the slammed door makes Amy jump in the air and her stomach does a flip.
"This is not what I meant when I said I did not want to live alone!" Amy says to the empty room.
The next morning Amy is tired and sore she had tried to go back to bed and re-dream her dream to no avail. Amy tried to think of all the plausible explanations for what happened and had concluded that her air conditioner must have caused some sort of air flow problem. Amy drives to work alone on date nights she and Sheldon have agreed not to see each other until the night as to not get sick of each other. His rule not hers she did not think she could ever get sick of his company.
Amy is glad that for the most part she works alone her efforts are unenthusiastic at best. Amy leaves work a little early, she is exhausted and she is not getting anything done at work anyways. She stops by the market to pick up a few things for date night. Amy heads home takes a nap and then prepares for date night. Sheldon arrives exactly at seven thirty looking concerned.
"I stopped by your lab to see if you wanted to drive me home but you had already left. You aren't sick are you." Sheldon asks sizing her up for possible symptoms.
"No, just tired, I did not sleep well again last night." Amy tells him "Why did you need me to drive you home was Leonard unavailable?"
"Yes, he had to stay late." Sheldon says entering the apartment finally. He sits down at the table his place already set. Amy serves him dinner then herself and pours herself a glass of wine.
"You know alcohol can impair brain function leading to poor sleep." he tells her matter of factly.
"This is the first drink I have had all week." Amy tells him testily.
"I am sorry, I am just worried about you." Sheldon tells her but before she can feel to flattered he follows up with " The dark circles under your eyes are getting worse. " Amy chooses to ignore him she does not need to add arguing with him to the list of things bothering her.
"What movie did you bring tonight?" Amy says changing the subject.
"One I think you will enjoy given our conversation yesterday." Amy heart flutters maybe he brought the second Twilight movie but her hopes drop when he pulls Ghostbusters out of his satchel. Amy is not in the mood to watch it given what happened last night. She says nothing though she will suffer in silence like she always does. They finish their meal and Amy puts the movie on her TV. They sit on the couch Sheldon in his unofficial spot at her her place Amy on the other side.
The theme music starts playing and Sheldon looks over at her and mouths Ghostbusters after the who are you gonna call line. Amy giggles he can be so funny and sweet she wishes that playful side came out more. He is just on the other side of the couch but she feels like he might as well be on the moon. All she wants to do is snuggle into his side and have him wrap his arm around her. Amy's fear of rejection keeps her from scooting over to him. Amy thinks about the sweet kiss from last night and his dying to ask him about it but knows better. With her luck he will revoke tonight's kiss to make for the one last night. Sometimes the weight of the things unsaid between them really got to her. She does not know if it is that or the lack of sleep but she starts crying. She tries to stop the tears but they will not stop flowing. She lifts up her glasses to surreptitiously wipe the tears away. Sheldon sees her and pauses the movie.
"Amy! are you crying? This is a comedy you are supposed to laugh not cry!" Sheldon tells her.
"I laughed so hard that I cried." Amy tells him.
"Be serious Amy, I did not hear you laugh. Honestly what has gotten into you lately? Leaving work early, crying at one of Americas most beloved comedies?" Sheldon shakes his head.
"Sheldon, I am tired maybe it would be best if you went home." Amy tells him sadly.
"Amy, you are my girlfriend, it is my job to make you feel better. I can not help if you don't tell me what is wrong." Sheldon tells her and Amy softens.
"Fine, I will tell you but you have to promise to keep an open mind." Amy says.
"Always." Sheldon vows.
Amy recounts the events of the last couple of days telling him how genuinely frightened she had been.
"Are you sure it was not just some continuation on one of your night terrors?" Sheldon asks
"Yes, I had been having a good dream. What happened was real I was not dreaming."
"Tell you what, I have some equipment at my place that those fraud ghost hunters use on TV. How about you drive me back to my place I gather my equipment , a change of clothes and I prove to you that there is a scientific reason for these events."
"You want to spend the night?" Amy stammers.
"Yes, if it will prove to you that ghosts aren't real and you are being silly."
Amy drives him back to his place and thankfully Leonard is absent that last thing she needs is a snide remark about him spending the night with her. Sheldon goes to his bedroom. and pulls a large silver case out of his closet he opens it up checks the equipment then snaps it shut again. Sheldon then grabs a duffel bag and packs some clothes , goes to the bathroom and grabs his toothbrush.
"OK let's go."
"How do you know what equipment ghost hunters use and why do you have it?Amy asks him as she helps him carry the heavy case to her car.
" Penny made Leonard and I watch some terrible shows about ghost hunting to prove to us that ghosts where real. As far as owning the equipment it is just the same items I used on my trip to the Artic. A digital recorder, an electro magnetic field monitor, and a camera that takes pictures using ultra violet light. If my hypothesis is correct then what you are experiencing as little to do with the paranormal. Most likely your apartment has a high magnetic field making you feel ill at ease."
"So you think that after a few viewings of a staged ghost reality show that you are qualified to assess if my house is haunted or not?"
"Number one, there are no such things as ghosts both you and I know that. Number two those shows may be complete hokum but some of the equipment that they use does have a validity in science." Amy thinks there is something suspicious going on but reserves her judgment.
When they get back to her apartment Sheldon starts setting up his equipment. He puts a digital recorder in her bedroom that he syncs with his laptop. Then he walks around the apartment holding the electro magnetic field detector. He walks around each room holding it out making ah ha and mm hmm noises. As he does this Amy fixes the couch up for him to sleep on.
"Just as I suspected." he says tsking
"What?" Amy asks him
" There is nothing in the way of unusual activity in the apartment."
"Sheldon I am going to bed, I am tired and this is getting us no where."
"Wait! I still have to ask you a few questions so I can complete my assessment." Sheldon tells her taking out his IPad.
"Fine go ahead."
"What time of night did the event occur?"
"Around two in the morning."
"Had you imbibed alcohol before the events?"
"I already told you no" Amy says through gritted teeth.
"No need to get testy!"
"Had you been reading or watching anything that may have caused you anxiety before bed? "
"No, now may I please go to bed?"
"Fine, I will submit my completed analysis to you after I have slept in the apartment and determined that you are crazy." Sheldon says smugly.
"Good night Sheldon." Amy says turning around to walk away.
"Good night Amy see you in the morning." Sheldon says
Amy gets ready for bed and retreats into her room she lies on her bed and tries to go to sleep. She is exhausted but sleep alludes her. Sheldons presence is out there feels like a palpable thing. Her thoughts are racing she tries to assemble them so that they make sense. Sheldon was able to put together this experiment awfully quickly she thinks. Usually he agonizes over the details of such an experiment for days. In fact it almost seemed like he had been prepared for such an endeavor. the ease and readiness he exhibited to stay the night. It is all a ruse she thinks angrily and she gets up to confront him. When she gets out there he is not there, the couch is still neatly made up the way she had left it. Amy is disappointed he must have left without telling her. Amy sits down on the couch she feels like crying again. Then she feels breath on the back of her neck, he must have just been in the bathroom. Sheldon gently brushes her hair a gesture so tender it surprises her.
"Sheldon I thought you left." Amy turns around but there is no one there.
Then Amy hears loud banging from somewhere in her apartment followed by a loud scream. Amy gets up panicked searching for the source of the sound. The banging is coming from the bathroom. Amy bursts through the door and finds Sheldon sitting on the floor his knees curled up to his chest.
"Amy! I have been banging on the door forever why does your door lock from the outside?"
"It doesn't, it wasn't locked at all I was able to walk right in ."
"Well my shower must have caused the wood to expand in the door frame momentarily trapping me inside." Sheldon says getting up rather shakily.
"What's the matter Sheldon a little spooked?" Amy teases.
"No, as I explained to you there was a perfectly rational explanation as to why I was trapped in your bathroom for an hour." Amy turns and walks away Sheldon on her heels. Amy stops at the couch
"Well goodnight Sheldon, again."
"Hang on Amy, since you said the majority of the activity takes place in your bedroom doesn't make more sense for me to sleep in there?"
"You want to sleep in my bed?"
"Purely in the name of science, so I can show you once and for all that there is nothing spooky in this apartment."
"Fine, come on let's go." Sheldon follows her into her bedroom and Amy crawls into bed patting the space next to her on top of the covers. Amy looks at him curiously.
"So you do not get any funny ideas." He tells her and Amy rolls her eyes and turns off the light."
In the dark without her glasses it is hard to see but she can make out his prone figure. He is laying flat on his back his arms folded across his chest. What is there to lose Amy thinks as she wiggles closer to him and wraps her arm around his and lays her head on his shoulder. Sheldon stiffens at first contact then loosens up as he gets used to the sensation. Amy starts to relax and feel very sleepy.
"Amy can I confess something to you?"
"Yes," she says perking up
"It bothered me tremendously today seeing you so scared."
"I am sorry I bothered you." Amy says annoyed.
"You did not bother me the idea that you could get scared bothered me. There are so many things that scare me and before tonight I could not name a single thing that scared you."
"Plenty of things scare me they are just not as evident as the things that scare you."
"That's why I wanted to prove to you that ghosts do not exist so you will not be scared anymore. That's why I kissed you out of turn last night I knew you were feeling bad and I wanted you to feel better, I am sorry for the impropriety."
"No need to be sorry, you did make me feel better. You can kiss me out of turn anytime." Amy says smiling into his shoulder suddenly the lights flick on then off again.
"Please tell me you did that!" Sheldon says fear in his voice.
"No I was hoping that you did it." Amy says clutching to his arm Suddenly a shadow rises from the floor a dark amorphous shape. It materializes out of nowhere and slowly starts gliding towards the bed.
"Ahhhhhhh" They scream together as the scramble out of the bed and make their way out of the door. Amy grabs her shoes and keys and Sheldon grabs his satchel.
"Mind if I crash at your place?" Amy asks him as they race out of her building.
"Not at all, mind if I never step foot in your apartment again?" he asks as the jump into her car.
"Not at all." Amy says starting the car and gunning it.
"Hey ,I just thought of the perfect couples costume." Sheldon says as they drive.
"What's that." Amy says curiously.
Sheldon turns to her his face illuminated by the lights of the passing street lamps and mouths "Ghostbusters."