Author's notes: Hi there! I'm starting this new multi-chapter story. I don't know yet how long it will be, but I plan to write it slowly. This first part will have quicker updates, though, I will build up the story until we get to the part of the Pop-Pop's diary.
This story takes place in season 8, somewhere between The Fortification Implementation and the finale.
As usual, I don't own these characters.
Chapter 1: Farewell
It was 6.30 pm, and Amy was still cooking. She was late, Sheldon would arrive there in exactly thirty minutes and she still had to take a shower. She had completely forgotten to use the oven mitt to lift the spaghetti pan and turn it onto the strainer, which resulted in burnt fingers and spaghetti wasted all over the sink. How could she have been so careless? She had to do it all over again, good thing that the sauce with little hot dogs was ready. She stirred the spaghetti, trying to think of a way she could speed it up, but, unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it except wait. She needed to concentrate, otherwise she would do another stupid thing and there was no time for that.
She finished preparing it properly then, placing the spaghetti back in the pan and covering it with the savory sauce. She had only 15 minutes until Sheldon arrived, and she had no idea about how to get ready in such a short period of time. Well, Sheldon would have to wait.
She entered the shower, quickly removing all her layers, and started to wash her hair and rinse it in record time. After 7 minutes, she left the bathroom, getting dry at the same time she walked towards her bedroom, her feet leaving wet footprints in the carpet. Luckily she already knew what she would wear. She had bought a new dress, together with a couple of items she purchased for her trip.
She had now only 5 minutes to get ready, so she fixed her wet hair in a messy bun, putting on her plain white underwear and the new yellow dress. She put on her pink striped cardigan on top of it, coming back to the bathroom to brush her teeth and apply some light makeup.
When she put the tip back on the lipstick, she heard the three characteristic sequence of knocks on the door.
*Knock Knock Knock* "Amy."
*Knock Knock Knock* "Amy."
*Knock Knock Knock* "Amy."
She looked one last time at the mirror, her hair still wet, she just put on her glasses and walked towards the front door to greet her boyfriend.
Sheldon was patiently waiting at the door, wondering why it was taking that long for Amy to open it. When he was about to start knocking again, he heard the noise of the key turning, so he quickly lowered his hand. But when the door finally open, he saw something different from what he expected.
"Amy, what happened?" He had never seen her open the door like that. In almost five years, it was the first time she greeted him barefoot and with wet hair.
"I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet, can you give me more 10 minutes?"
"Alright, I'll sit here and wait for you."
He placed his satchel and windbreaker on the chair next to the door and sat on her couch while she went back to her bedroom. The food smelt wonderful. He didn't even need to ask what she had prepared for them, and he loved when she cooked his favorite meal. He turned around and looked at the table, and saw that she hadn't set it, so he decided he could help her and soon he was in the kitchen, picking up the plates, cups and cutlery. He noticed the spaghetti spilled in the sink, and he grabbed some paper towel to dispose it.
When Amy arrived back in the living room she saw Sheldon placing the cutlery next to the plates, and smiled at him.
"Thank you! I was going to do that, but there was no time."
"I see, how did you spill the spaghetti in the sink?"
"Oh, you saw that, huh?" She looked down, a bit embarrassed by her sloppiness.
"Where you distracted by the trip?"
"Yes, I just have so much in my mind that I forgot about the oven mitt and just realized when I felt my fingers burning."
"Dear Lord, did you get burned?" He immediately grabbed her hands and stared at the red marks on both hands.
"Yes, but it's not bad, I put it under cool water, and I just need to put some ointment on it and I'll be fine."
"And what are you waiting for?" He didn't wait for her reply and he walked towards her bathroom to find the ointment in her medicine cabinet. He came back with aloe vera and gauze, bringing her to sit with him on the couch. He held one hand in his with her palm up and slowly applied the ointment on the red marks. Amy winced at the contact.
"Sorry."
"That's ok, it's just hurting a bit."
"You have to be careful, little lady."
"I know."
He took her other hand to continue his task, and Amy took the chance to enjoy the contact of their hands. When he finished and let her hands go, she already missed his touch.
"Well, do you think you need to protect it with gauze?"
"No, it was not that bad, let the ointment dry and I can eat."
"I can serve dinner tonight, then." He smiled at her, patting her knee before standing up.
"I'd love that." She stood up as well, following him to the table.
He washed his hands and started serving the food.
"Is everything ready for tomorrow?"
"I guess. I still need to check my notes to see if I didn't forget to mention anything, but my boss read it two days ago and he said it was great.
"Would you like me to read it too?"
"No, that's alright."
"Ok."
They started eating quietly, and Sheldon was a bit apprehensive about her trip. She was traveling by airplane to Oslo, and it was a 10-hour flight to get there. That was a nightmare! Ten hours inside an airplane! He remembered when he had to fly to Germany, it was almost the same thing, oh, the horror! But Amy seemed quite calm about the flight, she was more concerned about her seminars. He didn't know why she was worried about that, she excelled in everything she did, so talking about her research to a few grad students and neuroscientists shouldn't be a big deal to her.
"I'm gonna miss you." She said all of a sudden.
"I know." He smiled at her, and she knew the meaning of that after watching so many Star Wars Trek films with him.
"Are you gonna miss me?"
"Of course I will. You won't be here for dinner during the week, I'll have to go to the zoo by myself and we will miss two date nights."
"I promise I'll make them up to you when I return."
"Good."
They finished eating dinner, talking about the seminars and her visit at the University of Oslo. Amy was really excited about the trip, and Sheldon was proud of her. UiO was one of the most prestigious universities in neuroscience, and to be invited for a series of seminars and boards was an important step in her career, and showed how much her work was appreciated in the academy. Amy had been getting ready for this trip for the last two weeks, and she was going to miss Sheldon a lot, but it was definitely a great oportunity for her to gain respect for her work and it would add points for her reputation, making her closer to a Nobel.
When they finished dinner, Sheldon promptly started to clean the dishes, and Amy sat by the counter to watch him work.
"So..." She started, cleaning her throat. "As it's our last date night before I travel, maybe we could..."
Sheldon put down the plate he was rinsing and looked at her.
"Maybe we could what?"
"Umm... Well, I was thinking about asking you to spend the night..."
"But Amy!"
"... but I thought it would be a huge step, and I didn't ask you beforehand so you could get ready. I was thinking maybe we could watch a movie and cuddle."
"When you say cuddle, do you mean sitting or lying?"
"The latter."
He gulped, turning back to the sink and picking up the plate again, so Amy wouldn't see he was blushing.
"Proposal. We start sitting and if we feel comfortable we can lie a bit."
"Ok, we can try that. But no funny business, little lady!"
"Deal."
Amy stood up and searched for a film they would both enjoy while Sheldon finished with the dishes.
When Sheldon joined her on the couch, she pressed play and he saw she had chosen The Time Machine.
"Amy, I love this movie!"
"I know!" She replied, picking up the throw to cover their legs, as she laid on his chest. He put an arm around her shoulders, and she rested a hand behind his waist, and the other on his leg.
She tucked her legs under the cover, and gave him a quick peck on his cheek before the movie started. Sheldon watched her getting comfortable around him and wondered if he could get more comfortable too. He slipped a bit in his seat, supporting his long legs on her coffee table. The dimmed lights helped him become bolder, so he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and happily watched the movie. He was going to miss her terribly. The last time they were apart that long was in his train trip, and he was miserable without her. He knew that it wouldn't be different this time.
When Dr. Hartdegen came back in time to try to save his beloved fiancée from death just to watch her die again, Sheldon felt a pang in his stomach and he suddenly turned around, making Amy sit up.
"I wouldn't opposite to the idea of us cuddling lying on the couch. It's cold, we would be more comfortable."
"Oh, ok!" Amy happily moved to give him space to lie on the couch, and she laid in front of him, her head resting on his arm, as he hugged her from behind. He covered them with the throw again, and this time he turned her head with his fingers to give her a kiss on the lips. A short, chaste one, but made Amy happier than ever.
When the movie ended, they slowly disentangled from each other, sitting up.
"Thank you for a pleasant evening."
"My pleasure."
"The food was delicious."
"Good."
"So I pick you up tomorrow at 4 to take you to the airport?"
"Yes, and thank Leonard for me."
"I will."
"So... I see you tomorrow then?"
"Yes." He stepped closer to her, placing both hands on her hips, bringing her closer to him. Their lips touched, but this time Sheldon deepened the kiss, opening his mouth a bit, and gently nibbling on her lower lip with his tongue. Amy felt her knees weaken and placed her arms around his neck for a better support. He slid his hands up, pulling her closer as he hugged her by her waist. Amy responded by pressing her tongue against his, and Sheldon allowed her to explore his mouth.
They broke the kiss, but still holding each other, Sheldon whispered in her ear.
"That was a double kiss just in case we can't find a reserved area in the airport to say goodbye properly."
She just nodded, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen, which Sheldon thought it was adorable.
"Leonard is waiting for me. I need to go."
He leaned again for a quick kiss, and let her go.
"Good night, Amy."
"Good night, Sheldon."
Leonard was bored as he heard the seventh Counterfactuals question, with another crazy and nonsense reply. Apparently Sheldon and Amy were having lots of fun. The only thing he really didn't understand was why Sheldon was not in the backseat making out with his girlfriend. If Penny had to travel for two weeks, he would certainly be doing that. But apparently the Shamy had their own ways of saying goodbye.
When they arrived at LAX, Leonard dropped them at the departures area.
"I'll find a place to park and I meet you guys in a few minutes, ok?"
"Thank you, Leonard, it was very kind of you to bring me to the airport."
"Hey! I brought you to the airport, Leonard was just driving!"
Amy blinked at Leonard, who got the message. When he first met her she was a robotic weirdo just like Sheldon, but it was amazing of how much she had improved along the years. While Sheldon... Err... Not that much. But he did improve a little.
Sheldon opened the trunk to get her bag, and they walked hand in hand inside the airport. Leonard observed the couple, Sheldon was even carrying her carry-on suitcase, which was probably not heavy, but it was an unexpected gesture anyway.
Amy showed Sheldon the place to dispatch her bag, and after that they found a seat so they could wait for Leonard before Amy entered the boarding area.
"Sheldon, why are you nervous?"
"I always get nervous in airports."
"But you're not even flying!"
"But you are!"
Amy tried to suppress a grin, as Sheldon probably hadn't noticed he just admitted he was worried about her. She thought it was very sweet of him, but she was not going to push it. Instead, she comforted him.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine, I'll call you as soon as I arrive there."
"Ok. And no matter the time, call me."
"I will."
"Good."
Leonard met them there, and noticed how apprehensive Sheldon was. He thought it would be better to leave them alone, so they could talk.
"Well, Amy, have a nice trip. I'll have a look at the tickets for New Jersey, as Penny wants to meet my family. I have no idea why, but anyway..."
He gave her a quick hug, as Sheldon stared at him as if he was mauling his woman.
"Thanks again, Leonard."
"Text me when you're ready to go, buddy. Bye."
As Leonard walked away, Amy sat again beside Sheldon. She wished the chairs were not individual, so they could sit closer.
"Thank you for being here with me."
"Ok." Sheldon looked nervously around, not focusing in her as he spoke. "Are you sure you packed enough warm clothes?"
"Yes, and if I need something extra I already found a couple of stores where I can buy clothes."
"Good. Come here." He grabbed her hand and took her with him to an area that lead to a closed door. He looked around, and saw that it was reserved enough, so he pulled her closer to a kiss. Amy didn't expect that, so at first she was static, but after his lips moved a bit she started moving with him, deepening their kiss. She placed her hands on his arms, as he was holding her by the waist.
He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you."
"I love you too."
He gave her one more kiss before they parted. He took her hand and lead her to the departure area, but before letting her go he gave her a hug, whispering in her ear. "Have a nice trip, Amy."
"Thanks, Sheldon. I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
She gave him a quick peck on his cheek and walked away, turning to wave him goodbye.
Later at vintage game night, the gang was having dinner at the 4A before the girls left for Penny's apartment. They were all talking about the amazing opportunity Amy had in this trip, and Sheldon was speaking proudly about her paper and how her work was appreciated all over the world. It was past 7 pm, and Sheldon started to shoo the girls to 4B. They were all cleaning up the dinner mess when the phone rang.
Leonard quickly answered it.
"Sheldon, it's for you."
"Who is it?"
"It's your sister."
"Hello, Missy, what should I give the honor of you calling me in an unscheduled day?"
Everybody turned around when they heard the noise of the phone falling on the floor. Sheldon sat on his spot, his face pale.
"Meemaw's dead."
Leonard quickly handed him a paper bag and he breathed in, before he picked up the phone from the floor.
"Missy? Sorry, Sheldon's in shock, he'll call you later."
Everybody sat close to him, trying to console him somehow.
"Should we call Amy?" Penny asked, but Sheldon answered her right away.
"She's in the airplane."
"I'm so sorry, buddy, I know how special she was to you."
"No, you don't. How can you possibly know that?" He stood up in wobbling legs, walking towards his bedroom. He returned after a few minutes with his emergency bag in hand. He put on his windbreaker, placed his laptop in his satchel, and turned to Leonard.
"I'm sorry I overreacted. Can you take me to the airport? I need to fly to Texas."
"Sure, buddy, let's go."