This chapter is reposted. I forgot to post chapter 8 before 9. So if it feel like deja vu, it because I posted it as chapter 8. Its complicated. Anyway, sorry for the mix up!

Author's notes and Questions: I know I put this as a Rated M FanFic. I hope the slow road to sexy time is still okay. There are some saucy bits coming up in the near future. In the mean time, should I change this to rated T? Thanks so much for your feedback. There are quite a few of you who have stuck with this story since Le Chatelier's Principle. Thanks for your continued reading! I want you to know how much it means to me to see your feedback. It is very much appreciated. Now, enough clucking:

Face the Future

The rest of Sheldon Sunday night was spent cleaning, fretting and ignoring the empty feeling in his chest. It was going to be a long two weeks. Even though it was only 9:00 pm, he decided to go to bed. He was just warming a cup of milk when he heard a knock. Probably Penny here to fleece what's left of my milk. Why can't that woman keep a stocked…. He opened the door to find a smiling Amy standing before him.

"Hello Sheldon."

"Hello Again!" Sheldon practically jumped from the endorphin rush that was pulsing through him. SHE'S HERE! He pulled her by the hand into the apartment and held onto her, fearing if he released her, she would take a piece of him with her. "I'm so pleased to see you."

"Me too! Penny accompanied me to the Galleria to shop for my trip. I dropped her off and decided I could come up and see you before I go. " She nuzzled into his chest, inhaling his scent; musk and cleaning supplies with a hint of talc. Intoxicating.

He pulled back enough to put his hands on her face, " Can you stay the night?"

God, those alluring Blue eyes. She had to look away, "I can't, I'm sorry. The car service is coming at…"

"5:00 am, you told me. That truly is an inhumane hour. Can you stay for a little while?"

"Yes, about an hour, but that is past your bed time."

"Oh Amy, I'm not a child. A few minutes isn't going to hurt. Please come in. " He took her hand an brought her to the couch. He didn't want to stop contact with her for a second. He noticed she didn't look at him, just focused on her hands.

"Besides, we can finish our last session. It is driving me crazy that we left it undone. My girlfriend says I have a problem with closure, but I don't see it." He tried to make her laugh, but he could tell she was uncomfortable at the mention of the session. She let out a sideways smirk that always melted him.

" Maybe we should hold off on our sessions for a while. We have made tremendous progress. We can take a break."

He couldn't decipher the mysterious code of facial expressions, but he knew lack of eye contact was a bad message. He lightly lifted her chin to make her eyes meet his. "Amy, is there something wrong?"

"No Sheldon, not really." She's hiding something.

He moved his hand to her ear, tracing his thumb on her cheek bone. "Communication is the best part of us, remember? Don't make me to get the chess clock. Can you just tell me what's going on?"

Amy smiled, she loved that SHeldon was asking to talk without being forced to with a construct, it was a big step and it seemed to give her some strength. "Okay Sheldon, you're right. I was going to wait to discuss this when I got back, but here I am. Our last session was a little intense for me. I was fighting an overpowering urge to tackle you on this couch, have my wicked way with you and ride you like the stallion you are."

"WOW! Okay, that's a relief!"

"A relief? What do you mean you want me to tackle you?" Amy was hopeful that he was feeling the same way.

"Oh, not the tackling part, that would not be a relief. No, I thought I was in trouble, that I did something wrong again. " Sheldon also liked being called a Stallion, but that he kept to himself. "I have a bad track record..."

Amy took a deep sigh, "You didn't do anything wrong. I am just fighting the urge to pounce on you. However, I have really thought about it, and it is not what I want."

Sheldon unconsciously slumped in his spot, "It's not?"

"No, I want you to be comfortable. I have told you time and time again, this goes at your pace, your tempo. If you don't want it, then I don't. I am okay with the fact that coitus may NEVER be an option."

"Never? Amy, that seems a little too altruistic. What do you really want?"

"Sheldon you can't handle what I want right now."

"Again, not a child! Tell me what you want, woman!"

Amy took a deep breath. She better lay it on the line. "What I want is for you to want me. I would like if we could cultivate such an intimacy between us, become so close, that we can read each other thoughts. At some point, I don't know if or when, I want you to make love to me with such intensity, that we break the bed and knock our Nobel prizes off the nightstand. But I know you aren't ready for that. So, if I pull back, it's because I just need to pace myself. I can control my urges, Sheldon. I told you, your pace your rules. I promised."

"I'm still wrapping my head around our future Nobel Prizes being knocked down." Sheldon's mind was captivated by the image.

Amy laughed at Sheldon. Her future fantasy didn't seem to faze him. Shocking! "I know, we really should have put them safely on the bookcase. But future you insisted we had to look at them every morning…"

" Them? In this fantasy, how many prizes do we have?"

"Well, I have one, you have one, and we have one together. "

"Together? Intriguing… hmm. " Sheldon mind wandered now to what could they possible work on together to garner a Nobel Prize. The possibilities were limited, but fascinating… He had another thought, "And in this future scenario, would that be the bookcase there behind us?" He will never let up till she moves in with him.

"Oh, no, we bought a bigger place with our Nobel money. A nice craftsman in San Marino."

"We would need all the prize money to afford a craftsman in San Marino. Hold on a minute, what's wrong with here?"

"Not enough room." She left it at that. She didn't want to finish telling him her fantasy included them having to be quiet during sex or they would wake the two kids sleeping down the hall. Baby steps.

"I must say Dr. Fowler, I like any future with Nobel Prizes." He ignored the part where they were having raucous sex, purposely. " and, back to topic at hand. Thank you for considering my feelings on the matter. As I've said, I am trying, Amy, truly. But coitus was never something I thought I had to consider as part of my life. That is why I am doing these sessions."

"Remember, we aren't doing these sessions to lead down a path to coitus. These sessions are just to become more intimate."

"They seem to be leading down that road, regardless of our intentions." This was the first time Sheldon admitted that coitus might be on the table. He had been thinking about it more. He didn't think he was ready, he didn't even know if he wanted to. His body was leading him, and he didn't like being told what to do, even by his own hormone system.

Amy added, "We control our intentions, Sheldon. There's a quote from the movie LA Story, "Let your mind go and your body will follow."

"OH, I don't like that! I would never let my mind go." Sheldon shuttered at the thought.

"Exactly, I didn't like it either. No one messes with my brain but me! Not even my body. SO I flip the phrase on it's head, "Let your body go and your mind will lead."

"Interesting…"

"SO quoting romantic comedy movies doesn't do it for ya, huh Tex?"

Sheldon smirked, jarred from his thoughts about letting his body go, "No, you little minx! Romantic comedies "don't do it for me." But no more Sci FI quote, ya hear."

"Shiny." Amy winked at him.

"Firefly? Oh little lady, that's done it!" Sheldon tried to grab Amy, but she was too quick for him. She jumped off the couch and ran behind it. Sheldon was like a cat, stalking his prey. Amy dove left toward the door, but he rounded the couch, almost cut her off. She darted back toward the bedroom, but he jumped to the right, cutting off her path. Finally, he had enough and jumped over the couch, catching her off guard. He grabbed her by the waist and starts tickling her. "You're a slippery little, minx, Amy Farrah Fowler. I need to teach you a lesson."

She was giggling so hard, she was losing her breath, "SHELDON! I'm too ticklish, stop I acquiesce! You win! Uncle! Never, never again!"

Sheldon grabbed her by the face gently to halt her squirming, "Never say never."

"Well now I have another quote, but I don't want to get in trouble…" Amy smirked, melting her arms around his waist.

"OH, you wouldn't be in too much trouble if you have permission; what were you remembering?" Sheldon didn't let her go, he moved his hands down her face to her shoulders, rubbing her back with an assuring caress.

""Never" does not exist for the human mind... only "Not yet." "

"Wow, Amy, you're a marvel, that's from..." Sheldon had to think, he remembered as he snapped his fingers, "The Women in the Moon, 1929, Fritz Lange I believe."

"Yes, I had to take a film class for my fine art requirement. I took "The historical significance of Early Film in world society." Fascinating course. I haven't seen those films in years, but that quote stuck with me since it referenced the human mind. "

"You know, quoting the first science fiction film ever made is the quickest path to coitus you could travel. " He was teasing her now, his shy crooked grin gave it away.

She didn't miss a beat, and teased him right back, "Not, yet, Dr. Cooper. Not, yet…" She leaned in to kiss him, but just as her lips were about to meet, Amy twisted her body around so her back was to him now, pressed up against him. She wrapped his arms around her waist. Amy loved how her could engulf her.

"You know, Dr. Fowler, just when I think I can't love you more, you prove me wrong. " Sheldon bent down slightly and kissed her cheek. He moved his kiss to her neck and pulled her hair out of the way. He whispered, "And I hate being wrong, ya know."

Amy moaned slightly when he had nuzzled his mouth on her neck below her ear. She moved her hands to wrap around his neck now; her body arched with the stretched position.

Sheldon's hands were at her waist, but with her body arched he trailed up her sides of body slowly, glancing over her ribs, his fingers tips barely touching the sides of her breasts. Amy's body shivered now, not from the tickle, but from excitement. His mouth never stopped kissing her neck as he kept the slow assent to her arms and her hands. Once their hands met, he took them tightly and in one fluid dance like motion, he twisted her back to face him, holding both her hands behind her back with one hand as his other hand cupping her face.

"We still hadn't figured on your punishment for quoting Firefly, little lady." His low husky voice with a hint of twang made Amy arch her back opening her chest up to him; waiting, hoping for anything he could fathom.

"Or Spider man… I've been a very bad girl… I beg for mercy. I can get on my knees , if I need to.." She flashed that stare at him he saw at the pool; the one just for him. His eyes turned wide as saucers.

Sheldon pulled her into his mouth diving into one his rare deep tongued kisses. His mouth moved over her lips while he tongue never left her mouth. They were breathing the same air, each sigh filling each other lungs enough to let out another sigh. "Tell me more…" He kissed her now on her cheek, moving to her neck," about this…" He was next to ear now, whispering in her ear as he was licking her ear lobe and sucking on her jugular, "…begging…" more sucking on her, she was quivering now, held up only by his strength, his will, "you propose…"

"Well, I would …." RING RING RING. Amy cell phone went off.

Sheldon released her arms; the sound brought him out of his lust filled trance. Amy was still wobbling on her knees, recovering, holding the couch back for the stability she lost; or that was stolen by a forceful blue-eyed Texan.

"Confound it, woman! Who would be calling you at this ungodly hour?!"

When she caught herself from a brief faint, she checked the phone, " Sheldon's it's only 9:45!" She listened to the message, " Its Penny, she took one of my bags by mistake. I better get it." Amy didn't want to go, she wanted the last 5 minutes back. She looked at him with eyes that asked if she could stay, but she knew she couldn't. So did he.

Sheldon never wanted a TARDIS more than that moment. He could either relive the last 5 minutes or go 2 weeks in the future to their reunion. It was going to be a long two weeks.