A/N: Trying a different style of writing for this story. A challenge issued on TBBT Fan Forum. Shamy story – no mention of breakup – between 3,000 and 10.000 words. I apologize in advance if this is bad. I'm not sure I can write Shamy successfully. But I tried..
The Shamy Agreement
Amy paced back and forth in her apartment. He was late. He was never late.
She thought to call him on his cell phone, but that would be a type of nagging wouldn't it? And he wouldn't like that.
So many things had changed.
Leonard and Penny married.
Howard and Bernadette thinking about having children.
Rajesh having a steady girlfriend that seems to have some staying power.
And then there was her and Sheldon. Still going strong for four plus years now.
She still remembered when they first met. A computer match up. Did she ever thank that dating site for the match up?
She thought she was having the obligatory date to get her mother off her back. But there was something different about this man.
He was an awful lot like her. Scientific. Logical. Emotionless. Forced to be there at that coffee shop. By forces physical and just maybe spiritual.
Becoming a part of his group of friends wasn't easy.
Leonard was his best friend. He was a physicist also but focusing on the experiments. A man full of emotions that seemed odd to her, and totally pointless.
Or so she thought.
Penny was the girl next store. A vixen, whom she thought might have been a formidable foe for Sheldon's attention. But it turns out that Sheldon was impervious to Penny's charms.
Yet Penny turned out to be everything that Amy had always dreamed she wanted to be.
Or so she thought.
Howard and Bernadette were going through some sort of weird dating ritual. He was creepy and she was squeaky and together they were somewhat annoying.
Or so she thought.
Last but not least was Rajesh, whom she always referred to by his full first name. He had a selective mutism that she would have killed to get inside his brain to find out what electrons were misfiring. She also figured he would be destined to live the rest of his life without companionship.
Or so she thought.
Now she couldn't imagine not having them all in her life.
She couldn't believe all the new experiences she was able to enjoy because these people had entered her life.
Especially Sheldon.
Yes he was a tough nut to understand. His quirks made the rest of the group cringe time and time again. Yet she found most of them cute.
What did that say about her? That she was more like him than she sometimes realized.
And that was why he could feel safe with her. Why he could slowly...oh ever. so. Slowly..let down his guard around her.
How many dates before he would hold her hand.
How many years before there was a hug. A kiss. A bit of a risque touching.
She waited patiently for him to catch up to her in their relationship. She had to. She loved him.
And she knew that he loved her. Was that all that really matter to her?
A resounding yes.
So where was this knight in shining armor whom she had waited for all her life?
He was outside her apartment. Pacing back and forth. A ring box in his hand, softly stroking the top.
Wondering what he should say. Should he get down on one knee? Should he give her a list of pro and cons as to why she should say yes?
He had practiced it with Leonard. Leonard always said yes, even when Sheldon got tongue tied.
But Leonard was a bit sappy. Amy was more analytical. The words had to be just right.
He was only going to do this once.
He knew he was late. He had to get up the nerve soon, before she started to worry. Or get mad.
He finally knocked on the door – his usual three time "Amy" knock.
She answered it quite quickly, letting him know that she was waiting for him.
He wanted to apologize to her, but no words would come.
She was breathtaking. He told her that he wanted to take her some place special. Penny and Bernadette had done her hair and makeup.
Her hair was swept up off her face. Her eyes glowing when she saw him in a suit.
"Would you like to come in?" she asked.
He couldn't move. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe.
She asked if he was okay, and he willed himself to enter her apartment. They stood in front of the couch.
"Sheldon are you alright?" she asked. No response. Just a look. A look of love.
Ask her to sit down, he thought. "Amy would you please sit down."
Dutifully she did but was a little wary since he was acting strange.
Sit down next to her, he thought. And so he did.
Silence filled the apartment and she asked again if he was alright.
Bring out the ring box, he thought. He went into his jacket pocket and took it out, his hand covering the majority of it.
Tell her something nice, he thought. "You look very beautiful tonight"
"You said to dress up. The girls helped me," Amy said. Sheldon nodded.
Tell her how you feel, he thought. And so he tried.
"Amy, I am not always a man who can easily say what he feels. The fact that you are patient with me has not gone unnoticed."
"You know I love you quirks and all," she replied and he smiled.
"Yes. Well I have been thinking about us. How well we fit together. Intellectually. Emotionally. I'm not sure about physically."
"Sheldon what is it?" she asked putting her hand on his arm. "You're shaking."
Don't let fear stop you, he thought. He got up to bend down on one knee.
Darn coffee table in the way, he thought. So he moved it. It was cumbersome and a potential mood killer.
He regrouped and bent down again. He opened the ring box and showed it to her.
Just ask her, he thought. And so he did. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes," she replied and took the ring out of the box. "It's beautiful."
"Family heirloom," he replied. She handed it to him and he looked at her confused.
"Place it on my finger please," she said. He obliged.
She looked at it for several minutes, admiring the way it glimmered in the light when she moved her hand ever so slightly.
He lifted himself back onto the couch. He was happy. She seemed happy. And he hadn't passed out.
"I'm sorry I didn't ask you sooner," he said shyly.
"It only matters that you did ask," she replied and leaned over to give him a proper kiss.
He said that he was hungry and that they should go to the restaurant now.
She giggled at his unusual change of subject, but got up to get her coat.
"Bring your tablet with you," he yelled to her. She asked him why. "We can start on the Fiance Agreement."
She wondered out loud if that wasn't the same thing as the Relationship Agreement since he was so thorough in his writing of it.
"Oh no. We'll have to start all over again. Heading into new territory," he replied pushing her out the door.
…...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...
He called Leonard on the way to the restaurant. Both Penny and he were happy for them.
Sheldon said it wasn't as hard as he thought once he moved the coffee table out of the way.
"Of course that would be the one thing you'll remember forever," Penny said teasingly.
Sheldon told her he would remember everything. Eidetic memory or not.
He could never forget the way Amy looked when he asked her.
Penny told Sheldon to have Amy call her when they got to the restaurant.
…...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...
"Did you think he was ever going to propose?" Penny asked Amy as she and Sheldon went inside the restaurant.
"My heart always knew," she replied. Penny congratulated her friend again and then let her get back to being with Sheldon.
He got to the table first and removed his coat. He sat down, looking up at her standing by her chair.
He looked at her quizzically and shrugged his shoulders. A waiter came by and helped her with her coat and getting her seated.
On such a beautiful night, she could forgive his lack of etiquette.
As he started to eat a bread stick, he told her to get out her tablet and start taking notes.
She had hoped they could just stare into each others eyes then. But they will have a lifetime to do that. She knew an agreement was important to Sheldon.
They wouldn't be truly engaged without one.
So she started taking notes – all through dinner.
He kindly told her she didn't have to use the appropriate contractual language as she took notes. He would legal it up later.
He said she would have to drive him to work each day. She said he could catch a ride with Leonard since he was right there.
She told him that they needed to have more than one date night a week now. He told her no changing the nightly cuisine, and Wednesdays had to remain comic book night.
He said that physically they could try some more things.
She dropped her fork and asked him how many more things.
"There was this old song that said there are bases which couples move on to as their relationship progresses," Sheldon stated. "We have already been to first base as boyfriend and girlfriend."
"What base do we get to go to for being engaged," she asked.
"The song was not specific but it definitely said that we had to have vows before getting to home," he replied. "Then I get to pray for the end of time."
Amy looked at him bewildered and asked him what song was he talking about.
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light. Whole baseball reference by the former New York Yankee player and announcer Phil Rizzuto. The singer said I would be praying for the end of time after the wedding."
"Sheldon we don't have to base our physical relationship on a song you once heard," Amy said strongly.
"Then why did you start playing that Neil Diamond song on your harp when I didn't bring you flowers for Valentine's Day?" Sheldon retorted, knowing that he won that round.
Amy just shook her head and let him bask in his winning. She then suggested that they let things progress naturally.
He thought that was too hippy-ish.
She suggested they leave that section blank for now.
…...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...
The dinner was over and they were walking out to her car. She asked if he wanted to go back to her place.
He said yes because they needed to finish the agreement.
He sat on the couch with her tablet while she made them tea.
"Would you want to move in with me now or when we are married?" Sheldon asked. He wasn't looking at her so he couldn't see her awestruck expression.
So many words were coming out of Sheldon's mouth tonight that she never thought he would say. She was on sensory overload and felt like she would faint at any given moment.
Or wake up from this dream.
But it wasn't a dream. She looked down at the ring on her finger and knew it was real.
He asked her again about the living arrangements.
"My lease runs out at the end of the year," she said. "It would depend on when we set the wedding date."
"Well unless we pull a Leonard and Penny, we won't have enough time to plan a wedding before the end of the year is out," Sheldon replied.
She didn't want a quicky wedding, no offense to Leonard and Penny. It seemed to work for them. But she wanted the total fairy tale.
The one with the white stage coach and the horses and her prince standing at the altar waiting for her in his fine clothes. Flowers all around. Girls in pretty dresses, though not as pretty as hers.
He saw the starry eyed look on her face and wondered if she was going to zone out like that all the time now. "What date do you have in mind?" he asked.
"How about in August?" she replied.
"So you move in with me until then when your lease is up?"
Amy nodded.
He then started typing furiously.
She asked him what he was writing.
"Bathroom schedules, breakdown of financial expenses. These all have to be detailed out in the Fiance Agreement," he said as if it was the most normal thing to do.
Not much for winging it, she thought. But she already knew that.
"How much more do we need to discuss before this agreement will be done?" she asked somewhat impatiently.
He looked at her suddenly with a bit of a terrified look on this face. He wasn't sure how much longer it needed to be or how much more they needed to cover.
He was in uncharted territory.
She sensed him feeling scared. A bit like a caged animal. She thought that he would think to run, but he didn't.
"I don't know," he said putting his head down. She came over to him with the tea.
Setting the cups on the coffee table, she took his hand and reassured him. "You don't need to know everything right now. We can figure it out together as we go along."
He looked up at her. He didn't know. He had no reason not to trust her. But he was Sheldon Cooper.
And Sheldon Cooper didn't do things without properly signed agreements.
This was a conundrum that Amy could tell might possibly derail the furthering of the night.
Not that she thought he was truly a flight risk. He did come back after that great train debacle a couple of years back. She knew he wouldn't be doing that again since it didn't end too well for him.
"Why couldn't we write up what we have right now and then put it on a cloud drive. We could then add to it as we go along," Amy suggested.
Sheldon's eyes lit up. That was a wonderful idea. He smiled at her because he knew that she got him.
"Yes and we can still sign on the screen. I won't be able to notarize it though," Sheldon said.
"You know you can't notarize your own signature or anything that directly involves you."
Sheldon looked at her shocked that she knew that. "Don't tell Leonard," he replied.
…...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...
Amy watched Sheldon type for another half hour. She assumed he was putting the notes into legalese.
Once he seemed satisfied, he turned off the tablet and sat back with the fresh cup of tea that Amy had made him.
She joined her hand with his free one.
They both sighed happily. They were silent but contented.
Amy broke the silence a few minutes later and asked him how long he thought about asking him to marry her.
"Sorry to say but it wasn't the first time I saw you like Leonard with Penny," he replied.
"Oh I didn't think so. We were thrown into that date." He agreed.
"If I had to say when I first thought about forever with you, I would say it was the time I took your hand when we were watching Howard go up in space."
"That was a special moment for everyone," she said.
He mumbled a yes and sat up to put his teacup down. He leaned back but put his arm around her shoulder as he did.
She could feel the warmth of his skin on her neck.
He leaned his head on hers and she could smell the raspberry from the tea.
Again with the sensory overload. Did this man know what he did to her? She thought. Probably not.
Her hair smells like vanilla, he thought. That was different. But a nice different. Not like when Penny changed her shampoo. That was an awful experience.
He breathed in deeply. It smelled good. It felt good. It felt like, like home.
He lifted up his hand to stroke her hair. He took out the clip that was holding it up and let it fall gently on her shoulders. The smell of vanilla struck him hard.
He leaned back to drink it all in while still stroking her hair. His other hand still intertwined with hers on his lap.
"I love you Sheldon," she said with her eyes closed basking in his touch.
"I love you too Amy Farrah Fowler," he replied and then stopped stroking her hair. She looked up at him.
"Is something wrong?"
"When we get married you won't be Amy Farrah Fowler any more," he said with a touch of sadness.
She asked him if he didn't want her to take his last name. She said she didn't have to.
"No I want you to if you want to. I will just have to get used to calling you Mrs. Amy Farrah Cooper," he said and then went back to her hair.
They sat there for awhile until Amy said that it was getting late.
Sheldon said he could leave.
Amy asked him to stay.
Sheldon looked away, not knowing what to do.
Did she expect something from him tonight since he had proposed. Was not the ring enough? He thought.
"I don't mean for sex Sheldon. I just want to be near you," Amy said soothing.
Sheldon didn't reply, but he didn't get up and run out the door either.
Amy sat up and moved to the end of the couch and stood up, never releasing Sheldon's hand. She motioned to him to follow her.
They walked into her bedroom and Amy pulled down the top blanket. She sat down on the left side of the bed and kicked off her shoes. Sheldon sat on the right side and removed his shoes.
They met in the middle. Amy laid her head on Sheldon's chest.
He pushed it aside and sat up. She was about to balk but then noticed he was getting the blanket to cover them up.
He leaned back and put his arm around her. He kissed her and then she laid her head back down on his chest.
…...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...ssSss...
The next morning Amy woke up and found herself alone in her bed. She almost thought again that it was a dream until she heard Sheldon in the kitchen. She walked out and saw him at the table with two cups of tea already made.
He looked up at her and smiled. He motioned to her tea and said he had just made it.
She sat down across from him and realized that this was how she was going to wake up every morning for the rest of her life. And that made her happy.
Sheldon was busy typing things on the tablet and Amy had to giggle because she knew he was trying to finish the Fiance Agreement. Must have been bothering him all night, she thought.
She was almost finished with her tea when he turned the tablet screen towards her and asked her to read it and then sign.
"How many pages is it?" she asked, not really in the mood to read a lengthy agreement.
"One," he replied. "Well maybe two if we increase the font size."
She looked up at him in amazement and joy. She brought it closer to read.
The Shamy Agreement
I, Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler (soon to be Cooper) agree to the follow conditions this 10th day of November in the year 2015:
That we are hereby now officially engaged with the desire to be married in August of 2016. The date to be determined by the bride to be.
In the interim we will love and support each other equally and without respect to income, race, creed or gender.
We will expand this agreement as needed for future events such a buying a house or having children.
Signed this 10th day of November in the year 2015 by:
Sheldon Cooper
Amy Farrah Fowler
Amy had tears in her eyes as she read the document. She got up and went to Sheldon to give him a big kiss. She then picked up the tablet and with her finger, signed her name below Sheldon's.
"Now we are officially engaged" Sheldon said standing up and holding Amy in his arms.
THE END