Author's Note: I was surprisingly disappointed that Leonard and Amy gave up on the experiment so quickly. I think it would have been interesting to see the two of them learn new things about each other the way Sheldon and Penny did. So, I decided to write it myself. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: The Big Bang Theory © Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Leonard and Amy sat on the couch together. Raj had bid them farewell to go spend time with his girlfriend, and, although he'd extended an invitation to the two of them to come along, they'd both respectfully declined. They wanted to stay here and conduct their experiment.
"Suit yourself," Raj said with a shrug. "Have fun falling in love."
He left, snickering to himself, while Leonard rolled his eyes and Amy furrowed her eyebrows. Finally, with no more distractions, they were able to dive into the questions and really give this intimacy experiment a fair shot.
"Let's try this again," Amy said. She read the first question off her phone: "If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, whom would you choose and why?"
"I promise I won't say Penny this time," Leonard said, and when that didn't elicit a chuckle, he abandoned his attempt at wit and gave his answer some serious thought. "Okay, I've got it. I'd actually love to have dinner with Sir Isaac Newton. I think it would be amazing to have an opportunity to share ideas with one of the most influential physicists in scientific history, the very man who singlehandedly formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation."
"I concur. A reasonable and well-thought-out answer, Leonard," Amy said.
Leonard gave a pleased smile. "Thanks. So, who would you want to have dinner with?"
Amy contemplated for a moment, a soft hum escaping her as she looked up, only to look at him again as she answered resolutely, "My biological father."
Leonard raised his eyebrows at that. "Wow. I don't think I've ever heard you mention him before."
"You haven't," Amy said. "No one has. I've never brought him up, and no one has ever bothered to ask me about him. I'm honestly grateful for that, though, as I've never met him myself."
"Really?" Leonard asked, intrigued. "Did he pass away before you were born?"
"Perhaps he did. Perhaps he's alive and married, living halfway across the country with five children who are biologically my half brothers and sisters. I'll never know. He was a sperm donor for my mother."
"Oh," Leonard said. "Your mom never married?"
Amy shook her head. "No. I vaguely recall a dark-haired, relatively handsome suitor who would tirelessly try to win my mother's heart, but she would always decline, to the point where he finally gave up and moved on to pursue someone else. As a result of her lacking love life, my mother had always been much too prying when it came to my own, leaving me with no choice but to concede to date once a year, until I met Sheldon, of course, and my life changed forever."
"For the worst, I'm sure, right?" Leonard asked, smiling at her to let her know he was only kidding. However, Amy only stared back at him with a hardened expression that indicated she wasn't even remotely amused. He relented, and wiped the smile off his face.
"Anyway," she said, "I often imagine what kind of man my father is, or was, for that matter, if he's a scientist, if I share any of his idiosyncrasies, hobbies, abilities, or physical qualities. Unfortunately, he'll only be left to my imagination, but then, maybe that's for the best."
She shrugged, signifying that she'd said all she wanted to say on the matter.
"That's too bad. I'm sure your father is a great man," Leonard said. "Regardless, I like your answer, too."
"I wasn't seeking your approval, but thank you," Amy said. "Let's move on, shall we?" She picked up her phone again, and read: "What would constitute a perfect day for you?"
"Hmm," Leonard said, thinking for a moment. "I'd want to start the day by doing something I've never done before that would be fun and thrilling, like sky diving, or paragliding, or maybe bungee jumping—something adventurous that no one would think a cowardly nerd like me would ever have the courage to do."
"Interesting," Amy said. "Wouldn't you worry about the high altitudes provoking your asthma symptoms?"
"Oh, in this perfect world, I don't have asthma," Leonard said.
Amy smirked in good-natured amusement. "Of course. What would you do next?"
Leonard thought some more, and said, "I'd spend the day traveling to as many foreign countries as possible, sight-seeing, trying new foods, all that kind of stuff. Then, toward the end of the day, everyone would gather at a banquet in my honor as I received a Nobel Prize, and afterward we'd all head back here to have dinner together like we always do."
"That's sweet," Amy said. "Sounds like a successful and prosperous day."
"Really?" Leonard asked. "You don't think it's wishful thinking on my part that I could ever win a Nobel Prize?"
"Not at all," Amy said. "You're an accomplished physicist who's seen minor success thus far, and it's perfectly plausible that if you continue on that trajectory, you'll eventually make a scientific breakthrough that you've been striving for all your life. You really shouldn't doubt yourself so much."
"I know," Leonard said automatically, sounding emotionally wounded. "My insecurities are so ingrained in me that I guess I can't help it anymore."
"Sounds to me like you need a serious confidence boost," Amy said, and she took a deep breath and told him, point-blank, "You can do it, Leonard."
Leonard blinked, genuinely taken aback by her bold words of encouragement. "Thank you," he said. "Really. That's nice of you to say."
Amy nodded once, and in the brief silence that fell between them, it dawned on each of them that they were treading into deeper waters. Leonard broke the tension by coughing into his hand, and he decided to take over the reins of the experiment.
"Your turn," he said.
"Let's see," Amy said. "I'd probably spend the majority of the day touring several science museums, learning as many new things as I can. I'd also visit as many major cities as possible and do some sight-seeing, perhaps sit in on some lectures, attend a biology seminar and share research with my fellow neuroscientists."
"Sounds like a busy day," Leonard said.
"Then I'd fly out to France," Amy continued, a twinkle in her eye as she got caught up in her fantasy, "to an upscale venue, overlooking the beautiful city of Paris, where my boyfriend would be waiting for me, wearing nothing but a devilish smile, and he'd whisk me to a candlelit hotel room covered in rose petals, where we'd have a passionate night of—"
She abruptly stopped, glancing over at Leonard, as if she'd completely forgotten he was sitting right there and had only now just realized it. Leonard smiled sympathetically, while Amy shrank back in utter embarrassment, her cheeks tinging as she looked away from him.
"And you thought your perfect day was far-fetched," she said in a defeated breath.
"Don't be embarrassed," Leonard said.
It was too late, though. Amy bowed her head as she stared at her balled-up hands, which had fallen into her lap. She'd managed to make Leonard feel better about himself, and now, he knew it was his turn to reciprocate.
"Amy," he said seriously, and she finally glanced up at him. "I promise you, it's not far-fetched. It'll happen for you guys one day, when you're both ready."
Amy cracked a smile, albeit a feeble one, as if she couldn't summon up the strength to smile any wider. It wasn't much, but it was something, and Leonard took it as a sign that she appreciated the sentiment and that it was time to move on.
"So," he said. "Next question?"
Amy checked her phone, and read: "If you could wake up having gained any quality or ability, what would it be and why?"
"Huh," Leonard said, bringing a palm to his chin and rubbing it in thought. "I think I'd go with super strength. I've been pushed around my entire life, and it would have been useful to have had the ability to actually fight back and defend myself. Not to mention, it would also be pretty nice to be able to open a jar without struggling so much that my fiancée has to rip it out of my hands and open it for me, making me feel like less of a man."
"There's more to being a man than brute strength," Amy said. "Besides, do you really want to be like the Incredible Hulk, where you don't even know your own strength and you wind up flipping over cars and ripping out fire extinguishers and just being utterly destructive because of your uncontrollable anger?"
"That's a bit of an overgeneralization," Leonard said. "I mean, technically, the Hulk never—wow, you and Penny have the same 'I can't believe you're talking so seriously about stupid comic book heroes' face."
Sure enough, Amy was staring at him with a deadpan expression on her face, not even the slightest trace of humor in her eyes. "If you recognize the facial expression that easily, you should probably take the hint by now and stop doing it so often."
"Noted," Leonard said, and again he switched gears. "You?"
Surprisingly, Amy didn't need to stop and think about this one as she answered, "I'd want the ability to be devoid of any emotions."
"What?" Leonard asked, shocked. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Amy said, "I grew up as an outcast, as you know, and because I was so misunderstood, people would tease me. Thus, as a coping mechanism, I trained myself to detach from my emotions. That is, until I met Sheldon. Slowly but surely, he broke down those barriers, as I found myself genuinely falling for him despite my former opposition to love. I don't know. It's not that I don't love my life now. On the contrary, I am so much happier than I ever thought I could be, not to mention no longer lonely. It's just, sometimes, I miss the days when I wasn't so sensitive to my emotions, of feeling rejected, of longing for more. Emotions tend to get in the way of things, and I honestly wonder if I'd be better off without them. I certainly never planned on falling in love."
"Neither did Sheldon," Leonard said, "and yet, he did. I'm telling you, you two really are the perfect match."
"I suppose. After all, he does legitimately believe we have the superior relationship over everyone else," Amy said, only to give a dismissing wave of her hand. "My apologies. I didn't mean to make this all about my relationship with Sheldon. It's just, he's changed me so much, and it's clear he feels I've changed him as well. Maybe that's why he's still resisting certain things, like moving in with me. We all know how much he hates change."
"True, but he is getting better," Leonard said. "Little by little. Just give it time."
"You're right," Amy said, reaching for her phone again. "Looks like we're down to the last question."
"Let's hear it," Leonard said.
"If you were to die today and couldn't communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone?" Amy asked.
Leonard gave it some thought. "For starters, I'd regret not having the guts to ever stand up to my mother and tell her off for all the insensitive things she's done over the years. I know I can't pin all the blame on her, but she definitely played a huge role in making my childhood such a living hell."
"Yes, we're all familiar with your mommy issues," Amy said, but Leonard paid no attention to her little quip, as he was still reeling in thought.
"This may sound crazy, but I'd also regret having never truly told Sheldon how much his friendship means to me," he said. "Don't get me wrong, he's been a pain in the ass to live with all these years, but he's also the smartest guy I've ever known, and I've never had a best friend before him."
Amy stared at him in awe. "Wow. And what about Penny? Is there anything you'd regret not having told her?"
"No," Leonard said right away. "She already knows how much I love her, how lucky I am to be with her, how she makes me feel so unbelievably—"
"I'm about to throw up again, Leonard," Amy said, though she smiled playfully, conveying that she was only teasing him.
"So, it's down to you," he said. "What would you regret not having told someone?"
Amy took a moment to really consider her answer. It was a deep question, no doubt. Clearly, that was why it was the last one on the list. After a bit of contemplation, she came up with her response.
"I'd regret never having told anyone how I feel about the social stigma we so-called 'nerds' play in society," she said. "People like us who are intellectuals may not be popular, or drop-dead gorgeous, or good at sports, but that doesn't mean we don't hold value in this world. We're scientists and mathematicians and philosophers. Just because we enjoy reading and studying and experimenting and learning doesn't make us geeks or weirdos. We have a lot to contribute to the world, to revolutionize the way people think, to uncover truth and knowledge, and it's about time we stop getting bullied for simply being who we are."
Leonard stared, downright stupefied, his mouth hanging open slightly. When he finally snapped out of it, he said, with the utmost sincerity, "That is the most insightful thing I've ever heard. Well said, Amy."
"Thank you, Leonard," she said with a smile.
He couldn't help but crack a small grin as well. "I thought you said you didn't need my approval."
"I don't, but I appreciate the support," Amy said.
There was a noticeable shift between them, a mutual amicability, and with the question portion of the experiment now complete, there was only one step left.
"Now we stare into each other's eyes for four minutes," Amy said, grabbing her phone. "I'll set the timer. Of course, we don't have to do this part if you don't want. I seem to recall how uncomfortable you can get during long bouts of silence."
"No, no, it's fine. Let's do it," Leonard said. "After all, we've come this far. Start the clock."
"All right," Amy said. "Remember, no speaking."
"Got it," he said.
She tapped her phone and set it down, and with that, she turned to Leonard, locking eyes with him. Leonard's face wrinkled in concentration as he gazed into Amy's eyes, but, after only a handful of seconds, the silence became too palpable for him, prompting him to say, "I never realized you have green eyes."
Amy broke the eye contact to glance at her phone.
"Twenty-one seconds," she said. "You actually lasted longer than I thought you would."
She was reaching for her phone, when Leonard stopped her with his hand.
"No, come on, I'm sorry," he said. "I can do this."
"Very well," Amy said, and they resumed the stare down.
Neither of them moved much as they stared at each other intently. Leonard found himself wondering what Amy was thinking about as she stared at him, while Amy simply studied Leonard's eyes without an inkling of unease. The seconds stretched into minutes, when at last, Amy's phone beeped on the coffee table, and they simultaneously relaxed.
"Well," Leonard said. "That wasn't so bad. I assume it's safe to say you're not in love with me, right?"
"Right," Amy said. "What about you? Have you fallen in love with me?"
"Oh, you bet," Leonard said in amusement. "In fact, will you marry me?"
"Wow," Amy said in a stiff tone. "You really love proposing, don't you?
Leonard shrugged, unable to argue with that. "It does give you this indescribable rush. You should try it sometime."
Amy chuckled at that, and when the moment faded, Leonard said, with genuine candor, "I'm glad we did this. I don't know about you, but I feel like it definitely made us a lot closer."
"I agree," Amy said. "It was actually quite fun."
"It was," Leonard said.
They shared another grin, when, as if on cue, the door opened, and Sheldon sauntered inside with Penny behind him, hanging by the doorway.
"Hey, look who it is," Leonard said. "So, did you and Penny fall deeply in love?"
"Oh, please," Sheldon said in a tone more derisive than if he were to have scoffed loudly and rolled his eyes. "The idea that Penny and I could ever see each other as more than friends, or even pseudo-relatives, is no more ridiculously far-fetched now than it was since the day we met."
"Yeah, what he said," Penny said, only to look around. "Hey, where's Raj?"
"He left a while ago," Leonard said. "Amy and I actually ended up conducting the same experiment as you two."
Penny's facial expression changed, a tiny flickering of warped fear. Sheldon wore a similar look on his face as his eyes bulged.
"Really?" Penny asked. "You didn't fall in love with each other, did you?"
Leonard and Amy shared a sly glance.
"As a matter of fact, I happened to propose to Amy," Leonard said, and he held up his hand. "I'm afraid I'm going to need that ring back, Penny."
Penny's left hand immediately flew to her chest. She glanced down at the sparkling rock on her ring finger, while Sheldon stared with enlarged eyes brimming with terror.
"Okay, I know you're only kidding, but you're starting to freak me out," Penny said. "Can we please go to my place and cuddle on the couch, and maybe make out a little bit?"
Leonard rose, looking at Amy one last time and giving her a nod. "Goodnight."
She returned the polite gesture. "Goodnight."
He crossed the room and took Penny's hand in his, raising it to his mouth and placing a kiss on her knuckles. Penny's face brightened with relieved happiness as she clasped a hand to Leonard's shoulder and nuzzled her nose against his neck. They headed out the door hand in hand.
Once the door shut, Sheldon and Amy's eyes met from across the room. Sheldon swallowed, looking a bit dejected now.
"So," he said timidly. "Leonard…proposed to you?"
"He was fully kidding. Don't worry," Amy said, standing up and collecting her phone and purse. "I should probably get going. Tell me, though, how was your experiment?"
"It was interesting," Sheldon said. "Although, it only confirmed what I've already known from the start, that you and I are more compatible than anyone I know."
Amy froze. She looked at him, and he stared back at her intently. She walked up to him, and, as she brought up her hands and gently touched his arm, she heard the distinct, seductive sound of his breath hitching. He didn't move as she raised herself on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss against his cheek. When she came back down, she caught the way his pupils expanded for a flashing second, and her heart trembled from his burning gaze.
"It's still…fairly early," he said, a throaty texture to his voice. "You could stay for a bit, if you'd like."
Amy stared up at him. They were standing really close, an overpowering heat suddenly pulsing between the two of them, and yet, neither one of them bothered to step away.
"Do you…want me to stay?" she asked in a soft voice.
"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise," Sheldon said.
Amy broke into a radiant smile. "Then I'll stay."
Sheldon grinned back at her affectionately, and in that moment, Amy realized the intimacy experiment had worked in more ways than one.