Weekly night rituals were Sheldon's savoring place to go, friends or no friends. Just because he and Leonard had a fallout earlier that day did not mean he couldn't have his favorite meal on that particular night and besides, Amy would be there and he couldn't just skip for no reason. Dumplings were at stake of not being eaten, something had to be done. No, he had to go, the least he and Leonard could do was act civilized.

"Oh, your concern for me is touching." Sheldon told Amy sincerely, who was sitting in the spot beside his with a dumpling saved particularly for him on her plate. It felt good to know someone cared enough about his dietary habits to do something like that for him. "…It will serve you well when you take me to the dentist tomorrow."

"Sheldon," Penny interrupted with a mouth full of food despite his constant lecturing against it. "did you ever consider that Amy might already have plans?"

He knew she didn't. Penny was always trying to prevent him from doing things by making him consider other peoples' busy lives. He hated when she did that.

"It's alright, Sheldon, I can take you." Amy assured him with a smile, patting his seat beside her. He wondered briefly why she hadn't asked about why Leonard wasn't taking him, but quickly decided it didn't matter, flashed a smile to match her own, and sat down with a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

On Amy's other side away from Sheldon's line of vision, Penny leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Ames, what about your-" and before the blonde could finish, Amy turned and cut her off.

"It doesn't matter, I'd take him anywhere in a heart beat just to see him."

Hearing Amy say such a thing even in a hardly audible voice, Sheldon felt the inclination to show some kind of reciprocation because he felt it, felt what she felt, wanted to spend time with her too, loved it in fact. It didn't matter that Penny was watching for his next move with a curious eye, that Amy was still turned away from him, his hand moved to her knee in a matter of moments, taking her hand in his while lazing their fingers together.

Amy's attention now divided, she smiled to her Bestie brightly. Her hand no longer cold, she was so much more than content.

#

The next morning, Sheldon happily strolled down to Amy's car in the parking lot of his apartment complex. As always, she was on time down to the second and he couldn't deny how at ease that put him. There was just so much to love about Amy Farrah Fowler.

"Remember what I said, Sheldon." Her words echoed in his mind as he was gazing thoughtfully out the window at the blur of scenery escaping his eyes. "If you do good today we can go to the train store after." And instantly he felt so much better. Now, the silence between them seemed a little like a wordless reassurance on her part; he felt her gaze on him from time to time. His stomach tumbled at the thought.

By the time he and Amy arrived, although he was feeling more relaxed about seeing the dentist, Sheldon was still very reluctant to actually enter the building. Amy knew, regardless if he told her or not, and, turning to him, she said sympathetically,

"Would you like me to hold your hand in there?"

Although hesitant to admit it, Sheldon nodded a little and quickly excited the car so she wouldn't see him blush.

Inside, the dentist greeted Sheldon with a warm smile and looked to Amy far more kindly than Sheldon had expected. The man seemed to be attempting to get into Amy's good graces, that was for sure, and to his back Sheldon had no trouble throwing daggers with his eyes. When Amy gave him a raised eyebrow over the man's shoulder, of course he pretended not to care; boiling inside more than ever.

The other patients didn't seem to find it as sweet that Amy was there for Sheldon's support, but regardless of their looks she stood by his side, for as long as he needed her, she would never leave.

Right before the treatment began, Sheldon glanced to Amy with pleading eyes, the dentist and the pain off his mind, all he saw was her. She smoothly slipped her hand into his and gently touched his fingers to distract him, not the first time she had tried something like that, but definitely not unwanted. In the end, Sheldon found that despite the strong minty smell and the intimidating tools lying about, the dentist office really wasn't that bad of a place with Amy there.