A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now, the 4th and last installment! I post this early because of the holidays, I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

- YlvaB

There are many different ways one can end up in a bed that is not one's own, and many different reasons why one would do so while still wearing one's shoes. Most of them have to do with drinking or sex, or both, or in some extreme cases: being caught by one's significant other engaging in one or both of those things in his or hers absence. In Sheldon Cooper's case it was simply the result of a good old fashioned fight that had rendered both him and his bedmate Amy Farrah Fowler so tired that they had fallen asleep while still (well, sort of) arguing.

"Amy" Sheldon mumbled groggily into the pillow, "Why is your bed vibrating?"

"I think it's your phone" Amy yawned, not bothering to open her eyes as she turned over and dozed back off. Sheldon slowly opened his eyes and began patting the mattress in search of the offending object, wrapping his hand around the item as he found it. "Mpphh" he groaned as he saw the caller ID, sliding his thumb across the screen to pick it up.

"Hello?" he said, rubbing his eyes as he slowly came to life.

"Sheldon, do you have any idea what time it is?" his roommate's voice growled at the other end of the line. Sheldon threw a glance at his wristwatch, his stomach dropping as he realized it was almost 8 a.m.

"Oh Dear" he mumbled, remembering he hadn't texted Leonard to tell him he was at Amy's. He had probably been worried sick all night.

"You could say that" Leonard shot back sarcastically, "You disappear in the middle of the night without telling me and you don't answer your phone, and now it's time to go to work and no Sheldon!"

Sheldon rolled his eyes at his overly dramatic roommate.

"Don't be silly Leonard, I know that you're tracking my phone" he sighed, trying to decide whether he should have Amy take him to work or just call in sick and go home and watch Star Trek.

"Well…well, I can still worry about you!" Leonard countered, muttering something under his breath that Sheldon didn't catch.

"I know… I'm sorry" Sheldon apologized, not wishing to argue with both Amy and his roommate. Last night had almost sent him over the edge and as persnickety as he was, he knew that he would have been sick with anxiety should Leonard have been the one missing.

He could hear the other man fumbling with what had to be his car-keys, and he cringed as the sound of a door slamming hit his ear drum through the speakers.

"It's okay" Leonard finally said, he too eager to settle this quarrel between them. "Will I see you at work?"

For a second Sheldon was tempted to say 'yes'. But as he looked over his shoulder and saw Amy sleeping soundly next to him, he decided against it.

"No" he exhaled, not sure if he would regret his decision. "I will call you when I'm on my way back home."

"Alright. I'll see you later."

"Yes. Goodbye Leonard."

"Bye Sheldon."

The lanky physicist hung up the phone and flopped his head back against the pillow, sighing out loud as he tried to come up with some sort of plan as how to proceed from here on. Amy was still sleeping, apparently having forgotten to set an alarm, and he knew that he would have to wake her up sooner or later. Hopefully she wouldn't mention his outburst or their failed attempt at coitus or any of the things he so desperately wished he wouldn't have to face once she woke up. But the thought of her not saying anything at all was positively horrifying, and for a second he thought he was going to be sick. He took two deep breaths, his stomach settling again, and turned over to lightly pat Amy's shoulder.

"Amy?" he whispered, not entirely sure what the protocol was for these situations. He had never shared a bed with anyone before. "Amy, I think you're late for work."

"Mmhhpph-what?" Amy mumbled, yawning as she turned over on her back to stretch.

"It's past 8 already" Sheldon tried again, scooting closer to the edge of the bed to avoid touching her.

"Aw crap" Amy cursed, earning her a disapproving stare from Sheldon, "I must have fallen asleep without setting the alarm. I have to call my project manager."

Sheldon watched her as she fumbled for her glasses, and cringed as she once again cursed when she remembered she had left them on the coffee table. He was tempted to lecture her after she had finished explaining herself to her manager, not sure that he approved of her lying about having overslept because she 'still hadn't recovered from that stomach flu', but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Partly because he didn't wish to tempt fate, and partly because he himself had sent a text to let his manager know he was "ill". Sheldon Cooper was a lot of things, but a hypocrite wasn't one of them, at least not to his knowledge.

As it was, they both found themselves staring up at the ceiling, contemplating what to say or do next.

"So are we just gonna lie here all day pretending yesterday didn't happen?" Amy sighed at last, once it became clear to her that Sheldon was not going to be the one to break the silence.

"If it's not too much to ask" Sheldon muttered, trying his best to ignore his growling stomach. It had been surprisingly easy to get through the weekend without a proper meal but as it was now he was famished. It was only to polite to offer one's guest breakfast before one sent them off to their pain and misery, that much he knew about morning after protocol, but to be honest he wasn't exactly sure his impromptu visit the other night fell into that cathegory. Truth was he had shown up uninvited, which would make him an unwelcomed guest rather than just a guest. So right now he was unsure where they were standing on this breakfast matter.

"You do what you want Sheldon" Amy said, rolling her eyes at him as she rose from the bed to search her wardrobe for clothes, "but I'm gonna go make coffee and toast. You're welcome to join me or show yourself out."

Well that did answer the question, didn't it? Now he just had to figure out whether to leave or join her for what was sure to be one awkward morning meal. His stomach growled once more, informing him that he better make up his mind now or things would get ugly. He sighed internally, getting up from the bed, massaging the small of his back as he made his way out of the bedroom.

"I need to void my bladder" Sheldon informed the petite neurobiologist, who had just finished picking out an outfit for the day.

"Is that a 'yes' or 'no' to breakfast?" Amy inquired, neatly draping her skirt and blouse over the chair next to her wardrobe.

"Yes!" Sheldon called back, slamming the door to the bathroom behind him.

Amy shut her eyes for a few seconds, trying to steady her trembling hands as she proceeded with getting dressed. She had hoped that yesterday's fight would have somehow cleared the air, that their physical clash would have emptied them of resentment, but instead it seemed as if things had only gotten worse. Sheldon was irritated and embarrassed, and she was sad and irresolute. That thing she had told herself about them being rational adults who would surely work this out for the better seemed like nothing but wishful thinking and naïvity.

She had just finished making breakfast when Sheldon entered the kitchen, his wet hair and peachy scent telling her that he must have borrowed her shower. She nodded in greeting and he nodded back, slowly taking his seat as she put a cup of freshly brewed tea in front of him.

"Would you like syrup on your toast?" Amy asked casually, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Yes please" Sheldon answered politely, as if they hadn't known each other for five years and had just terminated their romantic relationship. He eagerly accepted the plate as she handed it over to him, his enthusiastic chewing revealing that he must have been starving. Amy caught herself thinking that he must have had as much trouble eating as she had these past few days. Feeling herself warming up somewhat she took a seat oppose him, buttering her toast and taking eager bites in between sips of coffee.

Yet again the clock on the wall was ticking. Yet again the infant down the hall was screaming, possibly because someone was trying to force feed it, possibly because that's what babies do. The syrup was sweet, the coffee was bitter. It was ironic how domestic this scene was.

"I forgot to tell you yesterday…" Amy said as she finished her toast, moving on to slowly drink her coffee, "…that I love you too."

Sheldon looked up from his chamomile tea, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"And yet you wish to end our romantic liason?" he replied slowly, as if he couldn't quite understand why she would say such a thing. What difference did it make now?

Amy groaned, rubbing her temples as she rested her elbows on the table.

"It's… It's not that simple Sheldon" she replied, wishing she didn't have to explain this again. "I never said I wanted for us to break up, I said I thought it was the best thing to do. For both of us."

"What evidence do you have to support that theory? Have I said or done anything that would suggest to you that I do not wish to, colloquially speaking, take this relationship to the next level?"

"I think running away for 45 days after I suggested the possibility of us living together was a pretty good indicator that you don't."

"I didn't run away because of that."

"You ran away because things changed and you couldn't handle it. Taking our relationship to the next level counts as 'change', Sheldon" Amy sighed, her forest green eyes firmly locked on his baby blues. Sheldon swallowed, fiddling with his hands as she kept staring at him, stripping him and his fears bare. He found himself wishing that she weren't his intellectual equal, that she couldn't penetrate his defenses so easily.

"So, hypothetically… If I do go home and draw up the necessary paper work, and you come over and sign, and we go our separate ways… what do you plan on doing next? What is it that you hope to accomplish by doing this?" the tall phycisist asked, barely able to hide the fact that his entire body was trembling.

"I don't know!" Amy exclaimed, gesturing with her arms in defeat. "I'm not… I'm not saying I want to find a new partner and build a home with them or whatever, I'm not saying that. I want this with you. I'm just not sure you want this with me."

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying not to look at the man across the table. If she looked she'd start bawling again and frankly she was getting tired of it. Something had to give.

"I'm not twenty anymore Sheldon" she mumbled, feeling the weight of all this summer's anxiety on her shoulders. "I want to be patient and wait for you, I do. But I don't have ten years. I don't. I don't even have the promise of ten years. And I think if I were to pressure you into giving in to my wishes just to make me happy… I'd be the worst person on the planet" she concluded sincerely, finally turning up to look at her companion, who had been sitting silent all while she spoke.

"You could never be the worst person on the planet" Sheldon whispered, his big blue eyes shiny.

"I would be if I did that to you."

"But all the research I've done suggests the complete opposite. You're the best person I know" Sheldon said, his voice as soft and low as an intake of breath.

"Sheldon, this isn't about charts or research, this is-"

"Amy, would you please stop explaining to me what I do or do not feel? I can speak for myself you know. I'm not twenty either" Sheldon bit back, suddenly annoyed with the dark-haired woman who wouldn't see what was right in front of her. "You are the best person I know. You don't think I let just anyone prepare my meals and squeeze their germy hands into mine, do you?"

"I…"

"I know we don't engage in coitus, I know. And if last night is any indicator of what that would be like I have to say that I'm terrified of what will happen should we ever attempt it again. And I am perfectly aware of how you feel about our living arrangements. And as for pro-creating… I have never, ever expressed anything but enthusiasm over the thought of gifting humanity with our superior progeny. I haven't."

Sheldon sat up straight, clasping his hands in front of him on the table. Amy's mouth hung upen, as if she hadn't expected him to meet her arguments with simple logic. Really though, she'd known him for so long she should know by now that Sheldon Cooper did not just take it.

"So… Does that mean that you want for us to have a baby?" Amy asked at last, still in shock over his sudden proclamation. "I mean… We don't…I'm…"

"It means I'm willing to discuss the idea of us pro-creating, yes" Sheldon replied, leaning back into to chair. "I can't promise that it will happen right in this instant, but I'm willing to consider the possibility."

"What… what about… so these 72 hours…?"

"I'm willing to sign the contract and terminate our relationship should you wish for us to go separate ways but should you not… we could go on as if nothing happened. No paper has been signed. Nothing has been decided."

Amy's jaw was still at her feet. This man. How was it that he always won in the end? And how was it that she wanted him to? But he was her soul mate, that she'd always known. He was the one.

"And humm… what about coitus?" she asked carefully, trying not to show just how baffled she was.

"Amy, I'd rather not speak of yesterday's incident ever again."

"But if we're having a baby we might need to… practice."

"….What are you suggesting?"

"I'm just… suggesting that we could… give it a second try. Have a re-match. You know, try to come up with the best technique to produce the best possible…. Benign overlords that ever saw the sun rise. You know?"

Sheldon thought this over, smirking as he caught Amy's hopeful gaze.

"I suppose all experiments need to be repeated to garner… validity" he answered, thinking he would have to add a few paragraphs to the Relationship Agreement.

Amy bit her lip, smiling uncontrollably.

"And Amy?"

"Yes?" Amy said, unable to contain her happiness.

"Happy Birthday."

THE END

A/N2: As always I am deeply touched by the kindness you guys have shown me and the lovely response I've gotten. I've read all the reviews, both good and bad, and I'm so happy you guys took the time to tell me what you thought when I asked for it. This story was an experiment of mine, one that I've had a lot of fun with, and I hope you all liked it! If not, I still thank you for reading and I hope that you are all excited for my upcoming stories!