Clouds lingered above Amy's head in grey puffs, splatters of paint muddled together in the darkening sky. The air was chill and frosty with every breath, clashing with her skin coldly and making her tense with shivers. Still Amy loved the winters in California, even when the dull concrete beneath her feet was coated in thin layers of slippery ice and piled with snow so white it was blinding.

She walked all the way from her apartment to here, her car remaining in her driveway, and she walked if only for her own enjoyment. It took nearly an hour, but it was worth it when she looked to the sky and felt the tiny snowflakes melt on her tongue and settle in the tangles of her exposed hair. Her hat was snug on her head, a grey knitted thing matching the scarf dangling from her neck, and there was hope on her mind that Sheldon would enjoy her surprise visit.

After all, she did bring hot chocolate for them to share, a little sweetness in their otherwise clinical lives.

The snow falling from the sky did not start to pick up while she was outside. She walked into her boyfriend's apartment building swiftly, an appreciative smile on her lips at the warmth of the air surrounding her, and carefully kicked the slush off her boots.

The lobby was empty then as she climbed the stairs in silence, excited to spend the afternoon with her boyfriend and two of her many friends she'd made in the years since she'd moved. The thought alone was very calming, something delightful and relaxing, she realized, as she reached the top.

There she found nobody waiting for her, no party being held for her arrival, but the amount of acceptance her friends made her feel over time was incredible and enough to allow her the confidence to walk right into the boys' apartment. When she did so she was met with heads turning and Sheldon's soft smile.

He gazed at her as if he hadn't seen her in months, longing so apparent it made her love sick. He greeted her cheerfully, as with Leonard and Penny, and the four fell into conversation with ease, immersed in what they each had say for close to an hour.

Apparently Sheldon had been impressed by the fact that she walked so far to see him, his conceitedness high that day. Amy let him be, however, and also enjoyed catching up with Penny's antics she'd missed so much, reveling in the small things bigger than herself.

And when it came down to it, Sheldon sat aside his own wants to claim he didn't want his little lady overworked, leading to the boys taking responsibility to get dinner and the girls tidying the home-front.

Sheldon left her with a small wave and smile whereas Leonard was much more affectionate with Penny, but the euphoria Amy felt from the weather and time of year calmed her enough to not be too bothered and she nodded hard when Penny asked if everything was fine upon observing her dazed expression.

"Everything's perfect."

The girls immediately pulled out the wine in the mist of their freedom. They talked and giggled lightly, relaxed in the joy of the afternoon and Penny gasped as Amy, grinning, told of the cookies and treats she brought for them to make.

It just so happened that Amy was covered in flour and Penny in cocoa when the apartment door was opened again. The brunette, while wiping her hands clean, noticed her boyfriend had left his roommate to carry all the food like usual, but held his own small plastic bag in his hand that dangled at his side loosely.

"What's that?" she asked him distractedly, motioning to it with a point of her finger. As Leonard dumped the food on the coffee table and wandered over to hug Penny, Amy took off her apron and drew near her boyfriend.

"It's supplies," he replied simply, shooting a glance at his beast friend. "Leonard said we might get snowed in, so I decided to take extra precautions."

Nodding, Amy agreed, but with a raised eyebrow. "Is it really that bad outside?" she questioned, and Penny, now apart from Leonard, walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back.

"Yeah," she confirmed solemnly.

A few moments passed by slowly until someone else spoke again. "You walked here, Amy." Leonard stated with a concerned frown growing on his concentrated features. "It's too dangerous out there. How are you going to get home?"

From beside her Sheldon sighed audibly and began taking several items out of his bag. "She isn't." was all he said in contribution to the current conversation.

Being snowed in did not bother Amy in the slightest. It had been forever since she'd had a sleepover with anyone and the thought of doing so made her giddy with enthusiasm.

So with a grin she focused on the smell of the baking cookies wafting through the silence of the apartment, the other three pondering how to handle the situation at hand in an oblivious fashion. She was in her own little world facing the window, looking out and seeing the lack of business on the street, but also noted how the snow reflected beautifully down below. Had she had a good book, she could have curled up beside the closed window and read until she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep as if she were a child again,

Breaking her thoughts Penny suggested smoothly she stay with her, and Amy was about to agree with a small voice lifted above everything else that was going on around her.

"She can stay here, with me."

She noticed how soft Sheldon's interruption was, how hopeful she sounded and smiled to the sky, still gazing out the window.

"And I could stay with Penny." Leonard exclaimed quickly, and so it was settled.

#

"Who eats a cookie like that?" my was merely teasing, though acting as if she were being serious. Sheldon raised an eyebrow at her, and very slowly darted his tongue out to run it over his chocolate covered bottom lip. Amy was almost light headed from watching him.

"It's not my fault you and Penny are crazy when it comes to chocolate."

Amy couldn't argue against him on that one, empty mugs of hot chocolate littering the table as well as their delicious deserts in hand.

There were two cookies left by the time the apartment door closed for the night. Sheldon and Amy enjoyed the privacy the late hours gave them, and were in no hurry to abandon them for sleep, though the soft light pooling into the kitchen from the lamps in the next room had them feeling slightly sleepy already.

And as she sat there Amy briefly recalled a point in their earlier conversation where Leonard and Penny stood together with gaping mouths. Of course, Amy liked to think she was more skilled at hiding her surprise, but it was still rare that she suggest to sleep on the couch and Sheldon reply with "that won't be necessary," because she would simply sleep in his bed. With him. Only slightly different from last time.

Normally her quirky boyfriend would retired to him room around ten, too, carefully going through his routine to make sure he was on time.

It was gone eleven now and Amy felt more energized than anything,staring at a mess of cookie crumbs on the corner of Sheldon's mouth.

In a moment's time they were gone, however, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and rose. Amy gobbled up the remainder of her treat and tried not to seem like she was following him around as she jumped to her own feet, though that's exactly what she as doing.

He led her to the living room, tummies full and with slow movements. Amy adored moments like these when she got to see him be so cute and unwind like he was doing.

"If you want to go to bed, we can, Sheldon." she said to him from where she decided to it in Leonard's armchair. She was surprised when Sheldon shook his head firmly and let out a small sigh.

"It wouldn't be fair to you." he said, almost sounding a bit melancholy. "You came here to see me, and I like spending as much time as possible together."

As anticipated, Amy was not about to stop her boyfriend from spoiling her that night. Nodding respectfully, she leaned back into the chair a little more, and that's when she heard his voice again.

"Is there anything you'd like to do?"

Not ashamedly, Amy's mind roamed to placed she's never been in reality. Most of these thoughts would probably disgust Sheldon, make him question why he was still with her, but for the most part she was feeling innocent, the kind you feel when you're sleepy and carefree, and all she wanted in that moment was a hug.

"Not really." she answered eventually, and felt his eyes on her unsuredly. In time he took a breath and mumbled "okay."

She'd been hoping he would call her out on lying, if not ask if she were sure. She wasn't too disappointed though, because she valued the silences between them, even if they weren't physically touching.

Perhaps Amy may have enjoyed the night's bliss slightly too much, as by the time Sheldon turned to her again, which in fact wasn't long because he couldn't keep his eyes off her, he could immediately tell his beauty was half asleep, if not completely.

The one thing he could't do, however, was shake the desire to have her in his arms. He'd been wanting the simply touch for days, it had dominated his thoughts and even his speech occasionally, because one day he accidentally slipped up and told Leonard everything, and his best friend smiled fondly, telling him it was all part of being in love.

And Leonard swore he'd never ell, but Sheldon was already thinking of coming clean.

Presently he could not help but melt as he watched his gorgeous woman rest. The small smile toying on her lips as she slept was enough to make him feel insane just sitting there staring, her lips cheek, face, everything about her was perfect. Nobody would know is he, for a moment, followed himself to hug her, surely? Even if for a single moment…

Amy looked cold in that fetal position of hers, curled up tightly in Leonard's chair. He could try, he reasoned,to pick her up and carry her to his bed, though he was not fond of touching her without her permission.

It was a while before his conflicting thoughts reached a happy medium. At last he walked over to her, and, after watching her for a moment longer, reached his hand out to gently shake her.

Meanwhile in Amy's dream she conjured up an imaginary Sheldon, and in the middle of one of their date nights, he grabbed her hand from across the table. She smiled at how close they were behaving, jumping at the chance when he asked her softly for a hug.

So after Sheldon shook her, he cooed at her adorableness as she sleepily stretched her arms out to him and hummed just barely. The dreamy expression on her face nearly immobilized him, yet he picked her up carefully an took tiny steps to his room, partly so he could hold her in his arms for as long as possible, and partly so he didn't drop her.

The subtle smell of wine on her lips poked at his nose as his own face was centimeters fro hers. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but fear from what would happen if he took advantage of her while she was sleeping guided him to give her a hug instead, so he sat her on the bed slowly, and wrapped his arms around her warmly, as if protecting her from the cold snow that swirled harshly in the sky outside the window.

In the morning they would wake up to the silence of their thoughts in the dark of his room, and smile with contentment at the beautiful bare trees clothes in white. They would join hands briefly and stand by the window discussing what to eat for breakfast, but neither would be in a hurry to break the peace they held in that exact moment.

And more importantly, they would look each other in the eyes, and see the honest enjoyment they felt while staring at the scenery they had seen all their lives, because even the most bland things can be exploited and held on high when you're with the one you love.