Author's note: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (Advance or belated depending where you are in the world) Here is a little chapter that has nothing to do with the plot, but I added just for fun. I hope you like it. Also I'm not a scientist so forgive the vague descriptions of anything scientific. I'd rather be vague about it then attempt to add it in and get it completely wrong.

Valentine's Day had never been a special day for Amy, it was just another day on the calendar. She had never called it by the name that the others had given it. To her it was always February 14th and nothing else. It wasn't that she was resentful to the tradition at all, in fact she found it nice that there was a day in a year to celebrate love. Yet she never took part because there was no one she could celebrate that love with. When she was younger, her parents would spend the day together as she busied herself reading advance books for neurobiology. It was a nice comfort to her when she noted the chemical reaction during attraction, secretly she hoped that she could take part one day to understand what had made it so special. This was a desire that she had managed to keep hidden for many years, so why was it that now when she was a fully-fledged adult that the same desire burned at her?

Of course it had to do with her new friends. In the past the idea of celebrating had been so distant to her. The couples that she saw were merely strangers, save for her parents. So when her friends had told her they would be busy that day, spending time with their significant others, all of a sudden the problem was too close and too personal. Despite her discomfort, there was no way that she would bring this up to them. Thankfully, she had already planned a day schedule in the lab to keep herself busy. Though despite herself, here she was now in her lab carrying out an experiment for her latest addiction study and she couldn't help but distract herself with thinking about what her friends were doing at this moment. Were they having a romantic dinner in a restaurant, staying indoors and watching movies? She shook the thoughts from her mind as each second she wasted thinking about them caused an unmistakeable void to fill inside of her. She had wanted it to, she had always wanted to experience it. Yet again, there wasn't anyone for her to spend it with. Sheldon believed that the holiday was only a banal tradition that lesser beings caved into, in order to hide from their own stupidity. In fact he had praised Amy on her decision to spend the day in the pursuit of science, which he proudly claimed that he would do as well. She noted the logical nature of his view, but she wouldn't tell Sheldon that she didn't think Valentines was a waste of time. If only he knew that she had dreams of spending it with a certain someone, he would surely laugh at her.

Naturally, these were only pointless fantasies that she entertained herself with since she had met the man. She imagined that he was probably spending it with a beautiful and charismatic woman, enjoying himself. At that thought she accidently dropped the clipboard that she was holding when observing the subject before her, the brunette sighed and retrieved the object from the floor. There was still too much to do, she tried to remain focused and recalled the words she had told herself in the past. "Today is February 14th. It's just another day. Like any other day it will come and go."

After what had felt like a very long last five hours in the lab, she had eventually finished. Surprisingly earlier than she had anticipated as her watch told her it was only 6:00 pm. As she walked out into the streets, she tried to ignore the decorations and subtle signs that love was in the air. She eyes the couples as they passed, seemingly appearing from any corner of the street that she exited. The brunette sighed once more and made her way to where her car was parked, the walk itself had been uneventful for a time and yet felt as long as the hours she spent indoors. In the distance she could hear the sounds of running and the yells of people playing sports. In this moment, Amy had wished that she had paid more attention as all of a sudden a voice called out and she felt a blunt impact at the side of her head that caused a dull ache to spread. The brunette winced and fixed her glasses, letting her palm rest where she had just been hit, she was about to just walk away until she was stopped.

"Oh god! Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Amy didn't turn to face the person, who she presumed was the one that kicked the ball in the first place.
"No way you're fine after that! Come on, let me go and look at it."

Before she could protest the person was already dragging her towards the green grass where the pitch was, urging her to sit on the bench. He sat next to her and examined her head with care, sighing in relief that she wasn't bleeding.

"Well. It could have been a lot worse." He asked her routine questions on how she was feeling, yet he still insisted that she stay put for a while. As the man was talking she let her eyes wander to the players on the pitch, who were continuing with the game once the ball was retrieved, she didn't have much knowledge on soccer but there was a certain intensity and power to each player that left her intrigued. Her eyes were drawn to one of the taller players as he ran along the large pitch with such ease and precision, upon closer observation she noted that the face was very familiar. The dark curly hair and well-toned body belonging to the very same man that had constantly interrupted her dreams. As if he were aware of her staring, the male turned to face her midgame looking at her in surprise but then he gave her an energetic wave, one that caused him to lose the ball that he was currently kicking. The brunette was tense and the man who was with her followed her line of vision to where Zack had just made a clumsy mistake. "You know him?" Was all he said, to which Amy had nodded. The man didn't say anything more, but then left her where she was and went up to the players. Amy was about to just make her way and leave when she saw Zack coming towards her and the man was now playing in place of him. She tensed and gulped down the nausea that she could feel threatening to escape her. Once he came to where she sat, Amy noticed that his skin was slightly red from exertion and he panted lightly. Although he wasn't in the same condition as the other players who looked to be on the verge of exhaustion.

"Hey!" He breathed out, taking a seat next to her as he grabbed a water bottle from one of the many bags stacked beside the bench and took a swig. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Hello…" Amy rested her hands in her lap and stared down at them, deciding to focus on the fading pain in her head rather than Zack.
"Mike told me you got hit in the head with the ball. Sorry about that. Are you okay?"
Amy nodded.
"Well I gotta apologise for the guy. He's got a mad kick but no control." The tall male laughed. "But it's good he came to check on you."

The more Zack talked, the more a question began to rattle Amy. Why was Zack here, playing football when it's Valentine's Day? Surely a handsome man like him would have a woman to spend such a day with. It was odd, but Amy was going to pretend that she didn't like that fact. Only on the grounds that it made no sense. As he made small talk with her, she wondered if she could somehow bring the topic up but failed miserably. So it was to her relief that he somehow brought it up himself.

"Today's normally a big day for everyone. But me and the boys just wanted to have fun. One or two of them have girlfriends but they were out of town." He shrugged at that and Amy turned to face him. She wondered if he were one of those two. "What about you, Amy?" The question was one she wanted to avoid but he asked it with such genuine curiosity, his eyes looked at her for an answer though he didn't press for one.

"Today I was working… Penny and Bernadette are on dates. So I was just going to go home." As she said the words, she couldn't believe how lonely it made her sound and she expected Zack to leave it at that.
"So, no big plans then?" Amy raised an eyebrow at the question but shook her head. "Well then, wanna do something fun with me?" Amy could only blink.

What on earth was he asking her? Is this real? Was the blow to the head harder than she thought and now she was hallucinating? She lightly pinched her arm without Zack noticing and could feel the pain as she did. Now, the nervousness overtook her. This wasn't normal yet she wanted it to proceed because the chance may never present itself again, she had been silent for a while and she heard Zack repeat his question.

"What do you mean?" She had managed to say, relatively calmly. Though if you focused you could hear a slight tremble in her voice.
"There's a carnival not too far from here. It looks like a lot of fun and I think you'll like it."
"Oh."
She noticed that his smile fell ever so slightly, as if disappointed. "You don't want to?" Amy wanted to curse herself at that moment, whatever was happening right now had definitely thrown her off guard. But she would miss a chance at something that she desired, spending time with Zack. She needed to ignore the side of her that was trying to rationalise what was going on, sure it could have been he meant as friends. None of that mattered. She shouldn't let the chance slip away.
"I…I would like to…" The words were barely audible, she had found a very fascinating piece of grass to focus on as she said it. She could feel his gaze burn at the side of her head, causing a strange sensation of tingling at her neck and spine. "But what about your game?"

It was as if her question went unheard as Zack beamed at her, then stood up. He told her that he would be back and she watched him as he made his way to his teammates on the court making conversation with them. As he did this, Amy used the time to calm herself down and try to think of the carnival that he wanted to go to. She wasn't sure what it had in store but yet she agreed, the brunette eyed the watch in her hand and saw it was now 6:30 pm which marked the very first time that she would have spent Valentine's Day with another person. If she told Penny and Bernadette she would never hear the end of their teasing, yet a warmth and excitement came to her as she continued to process the events of today. It was no longer just another day. When she started to pay attention to where Zack had been, she noticed the other players playfully hitting his arm as she stared on in bewilderment. He eventually waved them goodbye and jogged back over to her, grabbing his bag, the coat that was carelessly tossed over it and his water. She then stood up when he asked if she was ready. Tentatively she followed him out of the pitch, gazing at the road that lead to where her car was parked briefly. When they were walking together, Amy made it a point to walk a few steps behind him. Something which Zack noticed after a while, thinking that he was walking too fast so he slowed down to match her. She tried to repeat since she felt too nervous being too close to him, but he only did the same thing. The walk was anything but silent, but it was mainly Zack speaking about random topics and Amy giving a few brief answers. Despite this, the atmosphere was comfortable without any awkward tension.

She eventually saw the amusement park come into view, the music blaring through speakers and it was crowded with many people. Some children and their parents, couples and some others who were there for their own reasons. Amy gasped as she took in the scene of the vivid colours and bright lights. It was something that she had only ever saw through the television, since she never had the chance to go to the fair. Her eyes locked onto the numerous clowns and the different rides that seemed to fill up all the space, yet looked so distant. It gave her a brief feeling of nostalgia from a childhood she never experienced. When she had enough of taking in her surroundings, she turned to Zack since she wasn't sure what to do next. It took him a while to notice this as they continued to stand by the gate, until it seemed to click in his mind.

"Say, where do you want to go first?" Amy took a quick scan of her surroundings, before mumbling a quick 'I don't mind'. When Zack heard what she said, he went and grasped her hand without a second thought. To which Amy internally protested, she refused to move and he looked at her before smiling. "We have to stay together, or we'll get separated in the crowd." With that he dragged her past the people, while she focused on the warmth of his hand as it covered her own. So many things flashed past her as she stared at the man who was guiding her through the crowd, when they came to a sudden halt. In front of her was a large house, simply labelled 'House of Mystery.' The pair paid a ticket to enter, to her surprise the 'mystery' involved was simply the use of iridescent lights and paint and mechanics that cause inanimate figures to move. It wasn't particularly scary and Amy felt that it wasn't intended to be. She looked at Zack to see his reactions, which only made her want to smile with amusement. The man looked like a young boy in a candy store as he gaped at the many things the house had to offer, it was almost endearing the way he looked so genuinely impressed. After they exited the house, they were stopped by one of the workers at the exit. He gave them a coupon that stated 'Free Ferris Wheel rides for Couples,' which caused Amy to blush and Zack to stammer a little awkwardly. Though she noted that neither of them bothered to correct the worker, both opting to just carry on enjoying themselves. Next they rode the teacups and some other rides until the pair decided to have a break.

They ordered snacks at one of the food stalls and wandered aimlessly, Amy paused briefly when something had caught her eye. An original Raggedy Ann doll was sitting with many other stuff toys, it looked like one she had as a child before accidentally losing it during one of her family's moves. She was drawn closer to the stall, which Zack eventually noticed. It one of the games where you had to knock the cans down with a ball. Amy had known the dark secret behind these stall games, yet she still wanted to try for the doll. She paid the vendor $1 for 3 tries, calculating carefully where the weakest point in the structure was. Maybe there wasn't one if it had been glued down but she tried to remain optimistic. This hope had faded sometime during her second throw. The cans did move slightly, telling her that maybe there was hope and she had thrown accurately at the places she aimed. The only thing lacking was more power. Eventually she gave up hope after her third try, where the vendor emotionlessly humoured her. She was about to go wander along with Zack again, when she noticed he had walked closer to the stall.

"Can you hold this for me?" He handed her his wrap, paying for three turns from the man. What was he thinking?
"You don't have to." She stated, and it was true. There was no reason to continue, it was a useless effort. Yet he only shook his head at her, getting into a stance that was similar to that of baseball players as he hurled the ball past the vendor. Who shuddered as if the impact had cut her skin. The ball hit the wall with a loud thud, but none of the cans were hit. Zack laughed awkwardly, as if trying to save face. Then assumed the position again, this time he had aimed a little lower which caused the three top cans to successfully be knocked off. Amy didn't want to hope, yet she found herself saying after observing him. "You're aiming too high. Try to aim it just below the centre." The words were brief, frank yet there was a glimmer of hope. Somehow watching Zack throw the ball, she wanted to believe that a miracle would happen. Today the unusual had already happened, Amy was curious to see how far it would go. Zack nodded at her and assumed his position again, this time taking a deep breath before throwing the ball with such explosive force that the vendor jumped three spaces away from the area of impact. Amy's eyes widened as all the cans lay helplessly on their sides, rolling around and dropping to the floor. The tall male exclaimed in celebration and the vendor sighed, going back to her normal apathetic state.

"Congratulations." She said dryly. "Choose a prize!" The false exclamation was enough for Amy to tilt her head, she wondered what prize Zack would choose.
"I'll let the lady choose." He turned to her and smiled, taking his wrap back and eating a large bite from it. Amy almost stumbled as she walked towards the stall, eyeing the Raggedy Ann. A foreign force of adrenaline overcame her, despite the fact that Zack had done all the work. She almost was willing to say she was proud. Amy pointed at the doll and the vendor handed it to her, the brunette looked at the toy fondly and carried it in the free arm that wasn't holding food and her bag. The vendor rolled her eyes. "Have a nice day!" She hummed sarcastically. Amy and Zack walked away from the stall.

"You didn't need to do that." Amy took a bite out of her sandwich, being careful and holding Ann firmly in her arm. "Wasn't there something you wanted?"
Zack shook his head. "Not really. Besides isn't it worth it when they get annoyed like that? I know there's talk that they like to cheat." He laughed again and they continued to wander around the area. The pair somehow ended up going on a carousel ride, Amy amused herself at the sight of Zack on a small horse. His long legs were always on the floor even as the horse moved up and down. The sky was growing darker and Amy noted that it was now 8:00pm. Zack had dragged her to a cotton candy stall, insisting it was amazing and they needed to reboot their energy. The brunette was quite cautious of ordering one for herself once she saw the large size of Zack's cotton candy stick. In the end she didn't take one, but Zack persisted in letting her try some that she eventually took a piece. It was sickeningly sweet and the sugar rush caused her to shudder. They took a break as he finished off the remnants of the large cloud of candy. Amy stared at her watch once more. 8:20 pm.

"Zack, it's getting late. Maybe we should get going." The words were heavy in her mouth, she couldn't believe that it was almost time for this wonderful evening to end. The time flowed so much faster than when she was in her lab. Zack stood and threw away the stick, he nodded at her words but then his eyes widened as he remembered something. He took something out of his pocket and she saw the pink coupon from earlier, which caused her to flush a gentle shade of pink. Which she hoped was blocked out by the darkness.

"Stay for one last ride?" He asked softly, though Amy was reluctant because of what she thought it would mean if they went to the Ferris wheel. They weren't necessarily a couple, like what the coupon said. "It'll be a waste to throw it. It's free and all." The brunette found herself nodding though she was still torn. They walked over to the Ferris wheel, which due to the occasion had hearts and other paraphernalia associated with Valentine's Day plastered onto the carriages. Zack handed the man the ticket and he smiled at them, appearing kinder than the previous sarcastic vendor. They entered one of the carriages and Amy could feel her heart beating loudly, the pressure building up and thumping along the veins of her neck. She decided to sit adjacent from Zack and tried to busy herself with the feeling of moving up in the air, watching the scenery of the carnival from the window.

"You know. I've been so busy working that I forgot how fun these were." Naturally Zack had started a conversation, although he appeared more subdued than before. He sat carefree across from Amy as he said the words, they continued to move higher and when she faced him she noticed how the dull moonlight had illuminated his serene expression. She continued to listen to him quietly. "It sucks having to grow up? Doesn't it? We get so stressed about little things that we forget all the good things in life." She responded with a nod, afterwards he became silent once more. Though his eyes never left Amy from where she was sitting. The ride continued on in that same silence, when somewhere near the top Zack had moved toward her. Internally she was panicking, similar to earlier that day when he invited her here, she wasn't sure what his intentions were. His hand reached over to her and she gulped, noting the way his eyes bore into hers. Then a hand brushed her hair and she did her best not to react, though her own hands tensed into fists. Before she could do anything more, Zack moved back to his seat and was holding a leaf. "Sorry. You had a leaf in your hair." He smiled awkwardly and Amy felt an unwanted wave of disappointment. What was she expecting?

The ride went on with smoothly, Zack and Amy walked off towards the entrance of the fair and back in the direction of the soccer pitch. Zack had insisted on walking Amy to her car, since it was dark he was worried for he safety. The walk back had been oddly quiet and the only thing to fill the void were the sounds of crickets and the pair's footsteps as they walked in the night. Amy was trying to ignore the void that had filled her once again, her brief momentary fantasy was over and now she was back to facing reality. Her mind tried to make its way to neurobiology as a distraction, it had worked until they reached the place where her car was. That void unforgivingly grew deeper.

"Well… This is my car." She said, then faced him. Thinking it would at least be proper to thank him for tonight. "Thank you. I had a lot of fun." The words continued to be frank and brief, though Amy had meant them most sincerely. He smiled at the words.
"I'm glad."

The two came to a standstill, Amy didn't want to say goodbye yet and she wasn't sure why Zack had continued to stay. Eventually, she told herself this would have to end. Like February 14th did every year. She braced herself, though the words felt thick and heavy on her tongue.

"Goodbye Zack." That was all she was willing to say, she held Raggedy Ann closer to her body.
He was silent for a few moments, before nodding at her goodbye. The next thing happened too quickly, he moved closer to her, bowing his head down slightly as he gently kissed her forehead. He gently whispered a goodbye, before walking off and waving. It was too quick for Amy to react and she didn't manage to catch the expression on his face. The only thing that she could focus on was the sensation of his lips on her forehead, which she was now touching as if trying to understand if that just happened.