Chapter 1-First Impressions

Sheldon just couldn't believe that this day had arrived so fast. It just seemed like yesterday, or a few days ago, that he had had Date Night with Amy, and had summoned up the courage to get down on one knee, and ask her to spend the rest of her life with him. He'd never forget the look on her face when he asked. She looked about the same as when he'd showed up at her door, interrupting her date with the very tall Dave Gibbs, and told her truly that he loved her. Both times, she'd ended up crying tears of joy. Also, both times, she'd held onto him as tight as she could, and he'd held her to him, her head resting on his chest, his head resting gently atop hers. Sheldon had to admit to himself that, although hugs from Penny were only starting to be just extremely irritating after all these years, whenever he was holding Amy, it felt, for a moment, like all the anxieties and fears that he had, just...fell away.

Although he'd never tell Leonard or any of the other guys, in his heart of hearts, he knew now that the one end of the couch on which he preferred to sit was not his only "Spot". His true "spot" was, any more, not a single point of consistency. No, his true "Spot" was a certain bespectacled, demure neurobiologist with a thing for cardigans, and hair the color of mud. When he was with Amy Farrah Fowler, he felt like he could accomplish anything. In her presence, all his thoughts just equalized. He had to admit, although sometimes it felt like she'd correct him to no end, she really had made him into a better man. How many years had he spent being a scared little boy, for fear that something might upset his routines even the littlest bit? Too many, he thought. He just hoped that he would make a good husband for her.

At the bachelor party that the guys had insisted on throwing for him, he'd thanked them all for their long friendship, and for tolerating his trying ways. He'd even split a pair of socks up, and given one each to Koothrapalli and Wolowitz, as a kind of "gag gift", in addition to their regular groomsmen gifts. He had to admit to himself that, even though Leonard, Raj, and Howard could get on his every last nerve at times, that he wouldn't trade those three guys for any other friends in the world. He'd also gained the friendships of first Penny, then Bernadette and Emily as well. However, his best friend in the whole world...whole universe, actually, was the lady who'd stolen his heart.

He chuckled to himself as he unzipped the garment bag that held the tuxedo that he'd rented for today. When Raj and Howard presented to him the suggestion that Saturday preevening, that he could meet a woman who had been scientifically chosen to be his perfect mate, his original reaction was, naturally, a snort of derision. (Then again, that was his reaction to MOST of the suggestions of those two...) He smiled, as he thought of their whole little scheme that involved blackmailing him with the possibility of soiled hosiery in the apartment, shaking his head. Then, however, those words that would change his life for all time, echoed in his mind..."Excuse me. I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. You're Sheldon Cooper."

He hadn't planned on falling in love. Then again, he thought, who ever really does? He was a man of science, of multiple doctorates and degrees. Love, before then, was almost a foreign and alien concept to him. It was something for lesser minds like Leonard, Raj, and Howard, not a Homo Novus like himself. When he'd entered that coffee shop that day, the thoughts going through his mind were of how much he wanted this folly to be over, so he could get back to Los Robles, and get to presorting and presoaking his laundry. He had also contemplated how he should gloat over the failure of Howard and Raj's plot. This, however, was not to be. No, the great Sheldon Lee Cooper was to be bested that fateful Saturday, by the candor and modest charms of a lady.

He'd had to do a double take as they walked up to the counter together to get her a tepid water. He'd dismissed this whole thing as pure hokum, but there was...something about her. He'd been introduced to women before, but none before Amy ever piqued his curiosity. Here was a woman not ruled totally by her vanity over her looks. Here was a woman who wasn't looking, at that time, for any kind of relationship but that of the mind. He was especially intrigued by her straightforward manner. Plus, her curt remark about all forms of physical contact being off the table put him at ease. A thought had crossed Sheldon's mind as they stood waiting for service: Was it actually possible that he'd found a female Homo Novus, whose intellect matched his own?

After they'd obtained their beverages, they'd sat and chatted for almost an hour. After exchanging contact information, they'd parted, agreeing that they should definitely stay in touch. He'd texted her when he'd reached home, to thank her for the nice time. She'd responded in kind, that she'd enjoyed meeting him as well. At the time, Amy couldn't believe that an online service had matched her up so well on the first try. Her mother had tried setting her up on her at-least-once-yearly, agreed-upon dates, but none of the men that she'd met had even come CLOSE to being an acceptable match. Thus, she informed her mother to hold off on fixing her up for a while, and Amy had signed herself up for the online dating service.

When the service came back with a match, at first, she thought it must be a fluke. It couldn't have found a match for HER. As she logged onto the site to see who or what it had matched her with, she was filled with a bit of trepidation. She wanted to believe that there was someone out there for her, but had had her fair share of disappointment. She wasn't looking for some whirlwind romance. She had her standards, most of which had been drilled into her by her overbearing mother. Still, one of those standards helped her to protect herself. However, most men that her mother had set her up with had left straightaway, upon her stating that all physical contact was off the table. What was wrong with just wanting a relationship/friendship that didn't involve all that messy affection?

She went to the section that showed her match, and was greeted by a picture of a pleasant-looking man with short brown hair, and blue eyes, wearing some sort of green t-shirt with a superhero logo on it. As she read the description, his answers to the questions posed by the site were similar to her own. He seemed a little full of himself, she thought. However, upon seeing that he was a scientist as well, she found herself intrigued. Maybe this one might be different from all the "regular guys" with whom her mother had been setting her up. She was a scientist, and had more important things to fill her mind with than so much romantic fluff. A note from him was in her message box on the site. She was a bit taken aback when it began "Greetings, fellow life-form…" As she read the note, however, it seemed that he was not a "normal" guy. Sheldon Cooper, eh? He sounded like he actually MIGHT come close to being suitable. She replied back, stating that she'd be interested in meeting him, stating the name & address of a coffee shop nearby, which had become her neutral ground for first impressions. What did she have to lose?

Within a few days, he responded back with a time & day for their introductory meeting, to which she agreed. As she arrived at the coffee shop that early Saturday evening, she saw three men inside, including this Sheldon Cooper. He was taller than his picture made him out to be. He seemed to be arguing with a shorter gentleman with a "bowl" haircut, and an Indian guy who looked nervous. "Hmmm," she thought, "are these his friends?" Entering the shop, she steeled herself, thinking, "All right, Fowler, here we go again..."

"Excuse me. I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. You're Sheldon Cooper." Amy heard the words silently cross her lips as she sat at the salon, her hair being tended to by Penny's stylist. "Did you say something, Dr. Fowler?", the stylist said. "No, nothing, just thinking out loud," Amy replied, a smile crossing her lips. In the chair next to her, Penny looked over at her friend, the bride-to-be, and knew that look on Amy's face. Penny knew the look that Amy got on her face these days when she thought about her fiancee', a man who could perturb Penny (or anyone, really) to no end, but for whom she would do just about anything, Sheldon Lee Cooper.

As he had introduced himself, she noted that his manner of speaking in person was exact to the note that he had sent her on the dating service. This Sheldon Cooper was definitely not the type of guy with whom she'd gotten used to meeting. Maybe this whole online dating service WASN'T a load of excrement. He seemed to possess as haughty a manner as presented on his dating profile. After a short chat, she thought, "Ok, let's set the boundary & see if THIS one runs away..." With that, she recanted her usual statement about physical contact. To her surprise, he offered to buy her a beverage. As they approached the counter, to get her a tepid water, she could have sworn she heard someone say, "Good God, what have we done?"