But there was none; and as the heat rushed into her lungs, she fell to her knees.
Suddenly a pair of hands came over her mouth, strapping an oxygen mask over her face; and a firefighter was pulling her to her feet. Silently, he pulled her arm over his shoulders and guided her quickly through the ring of fire.
Across the street, joining Raj once again, Amy collapsed in the arms of her rescuer. "Thank you," she gasped.
"You're welcome," the familiar voice had her pulling away and turning to see Sheldon. He looked so handsome and brave, standing there in the firelight wearing a hero's costume.
"What...Sheldon, how did you get that suit?"
He tucked the helmet under his arm. "It's part of my First Aid."
"And you risked yourself for me?"
He smiled serenely, even as the flames began to devour him. "Of course. I love you," he said, before he was nothing more than fire.
Amy jerked awake in bed, and she sat, wiping a shaking hand over her moist forehead. Freeing herself of the covers, she slid her feet into her bunny slippers, stood, and made her way to the window. Pulling back the drapes, she looked at the dark night sky and realized she couldn't wait until morning to speak to him. She unplugged her iPhone, and dialed his number without much need to look at the number pad. Holding it to her ear she waited anxiously for a response.
It came after several rings. "Amy?" he asked sleepily. "Are you alright?"
"Do you still love me?"
In his own apartment, Sheldon pulled himself to a sitting position. The desperation in her voice had him quickly waking up. "How could you for one moment think otherwise?"
"You don't want a family with me, Sheldon. Here on Earth, that means you don't want to be with me."
"But I do want to be with you. I just want to use protection next time."
Her heart warmed instantly. "Next time?"
"Yes. If you'd like. Amy, I don't need to have children with you, because my life is already complete if you're with me."
"What about what I need?"
Sheldon paused. This wasn't supposed to be happening; she was supposed to be melting at his words. "Well...What do you need?"
"What I need is a mature relationship. Sheldon, I want to marry you; I want to have kids with you, and complete the circle. I can be the stay-at-home mother and we can live on Mars; I don't care, as long as my life is with you."
Sheldon only briefly considered the implications that could come with rejecting her yet again. Deciding he couldn't handle losing her for good, he earnestly said, "I'll think about it."
"Thank you, Sheldon. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," he said into the dial tone. He hung up and had only been silently sitting for a few seconds when there was a soft knock on his door. He got up and pulled it open to see Leonard standing in the hall.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Yes."
Leonard nodded, turned and began to walk away, but Sheldon's voice halted him. "What about you?"
Leonard turned to look at him. "Honestly? I'm a little scared," Leonard confessed. "Worried, about Raj."
Sheldon nodded and the pair were quiet for a few seconds, until Leonard said, "Penny's here, trying out the telescope. Want to join us?"
Sheldon nodded again and followed Leonard to the door. "Leonard?" he asked.
"Yeah, buddy."
"How much will it cost to buy three dozen roses and have them delivered?"
Leonard's brows went up. "Are you seriously going to send Amy flowers?"
"Yes."
"And you're coming to me for advice on such a momentous decision?"
"Well," Sheldon answered, as Leonard opened the patio door, "You've made so many women unhappy, I figured you'd have the most knowledge on the subject."