A/N: Thanks for the continued reviews, favorites and follows. Your interest is sincerely appreciated.

9

It was Friday, vintage video game night. Usually Amy would be standing at Penny's door anticipating a girl's night while the guys got all worked up over Super Mario Brothers, but tonight she was facing 4A. Sheldon had asked her to come over, and she was anticipating a quiet evening getting reacquainted and discussing the future. She couldn't have been more surprised when Sheldon opened the door and she saw everyone gathered. The chatter among the friends was so loud and chaotic, Amy wondered why she hadn't heard it in the hallway.

Penny was in the kitchen portioning take-out, while Leonard waited to distribute plates to the waiting throng. "Hey, look!" she cried out. "Amy's here!" There were a chorus of enthusiastic greetings, and Amy felt a bit overwhelmed. She hadn't even realized she'd sidled up to Sheldon until he was taking a step back to avoid touching her.

Amy looked up at him. "I thought we might get a chance to talk." She said, feeling disappointed and as though she might start to cry. Everything seemed like a crisis these days. Then her emotions switched to shame. Her friends had been nothing but helpful and supportive and here she was, wishing them gone.

"I was hoping for some quiet myself," he was whispered into her ear, "But it seems everyone else had other plans."

Smiling, Amy nodded at her friends as she removed her jacket. Sheldon took it from her, placing it on the back of his desk chair next to his, giving her the warmest feeling. Such a minor thing, but the sight of their garments on the same chair felt somehow intimate.

"Come have a seat," he offered, gesturing to the sofa. Bernadette started to slide over but Sheldon stopped her. "You can have my spot, he said, taking a seat in the wide armchair. All conversation stopped as everyone's mouths dropped open in shock and Amy's stomach squirmed with the unwanted attention. Brushing her hair off her shoulder, she let out slight chuckle.

"I feel like a princess." That seemed to break the tension in the room enough for everyone to return to their former discussions, but she noticed the furtive looks her friends kept casting at Sheldon. Something was definitely up. Leonard handed her a plate with her favorite Chinese food, as he cast a glance at Sheldon sitting in what was traditionally his spot. He didn't make a fuss about pulling up a desk chair, and Amy couldn't help but notice the contrast in roommates. Penny pulled up another chair and dug into her meal with gusto.

"Yesterday was quite an exciting day, huh?" Leonard was grinning, looking around at the assembly as he stabbed a fork into his mu shu pork. Several heads nodded, and again Amy found herself the recipient of everyone's attention. Normally she would enjoy the notice, but she was feeling shy for a reason she couldn't name.

"I think Amy's a little overwhelmed by it all," Sheldon said with an unusual amount of insight. "I know I am." He hadn't looked up from his food, but continued to stir it around with his chop sticks. Amy didn't think she'd seen him take a bite. She looked over at him, shocked he was being so considerate in light of his recent behavior.

"I know I'd be overwhelmed," Penny said around a dumpling. "I'm not sure I'd be handling it as well."

Amy smiled. "Thank you, Bestie, but I'm sure you'd deal with the situation with the same grace and charm you apply to all areas of your life."

"Charm," Sheldon snorted, shaking his head, still focused on stirring his food.

Penny gave Sheldon a withering stare that was totally lost on him. "Thank you, Amy."

"So, what's next?" Howard asked. "You two crazy kids going to try to create lightning in a bottle again and have sex?"

Bernadette elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Howie!"

Howard looked genuinely pained as he rubbed the side of his chest. "What? Am I wrong? Don't tell me the rest of you weren't thinking the same thing!" Amy was sure she'd never been so embarrassed in her life.

Raj raised his glass of sparkling apple cider. "I'd like to propose a toast," Amy could have hugged him. She didn't know if he was purposely trying to change the subject or if it was just great timing, but she felt some of her embarrassment easing. "To Amy, her baby and all the aunts and uncles." It hadn't escaped Amy's notice Raj hadn't put Sheldon on the spot by specifically labeling him as the father, giving him the opportunity to claim uncle status if he chose. Or no status. He'd claimed paternity earlier in the day, but she thought that might have been for the benefit of the doctor.

"To Amy," they all said, holding up their glasses of cider. Everyone took a drink simultaneously except for Sheldon, who announced,

"I believe the next move is for Amy and I to marry."

Six mouths expelled liquid at the same time. Penny was choking. "Excuse me?! You can barely look at her and now you want to get married?"

Sheldon didn't look up at any of them. "Under the circumstances, I believe social convention dictates I make an honest woman of her."

"An 'honest woman'?" Howard laughed. "What century are you living in?"

"Howard!" Everyone called.

Amy was unable to process the last minute. Sheldon wanted to marry her? Well, wanted wasn't the word she would have chosen. He felt placed her plate on the coffee table, stood, tugged on her cardigan, then grabbed Sheldon by the wrist. She felt him trying to break free from her grasp but she was having none of it.

"We need to talk."

"Amy! I'm. . ."

"Now!" she commanded, dragging him towards his room, protesting all the way. On the edge of her hearing she heard Howard quip, "No doubt about who's going to wear the pants in that family."

She was furious, embarrassed, and yes, even a bit hopeful. Perhaps that was the worst of it. After all the emotional misery Sheldon had put her through, she was still hopeful he was sincere about getting married. That it was something he wanted and not something expected of him.

Amy opened his bed room door, practically thrusting him inside. "Sit down." He went meekly, taking a seat on his bed. He looked up at her, scared, like a child anticipating punishment for an infraction he hadn't realized he'd committed. At his expression, all the fight left her. "Sheldon, what was that all about?"

"You mean us getting," he swallowed, "Married?" He'd forced the last word out. Obviously it pained him and he looked to be on the verge of panic.

"Yes, that. Where in the world did that come from? Yesterday you didn't want to come to the doctor's office and now you think we should get married?" She was standing over him, arms crossed over her chest.

He patted the spot next to him. "Would you sit down?" When she didn't move he rolled his eyes and added, "Please?"

Amy uncrossed her arms. "Fine," she said, taking a seat on his bed far enough away that neither of them would feel uncomfortable. He didn't say anything for long minutes. "Well?"

Licking his lips, Sheldon took a deep breath. "I've been thinking a lot since the ultra-sound." He was looking down at his bed, smoothing a crease in the comforter.

"Go on," she prompted when it appeared that was all he was going to say.

"About my mother and Meemaw." He looked up her then. "How I can't tell either of them about the. . .baby." Again there was the difficulty in getting the last word out. It was apparent to Amy he was still trying to wrap his big, bulbous brain around the fact she was pregnant, despite events from the other morning.

"Of course you can tell them. It's hardly a secret."

"But don't you see? It has to be. My mother will kill me for what she's going to see as us having sinned."

Amy felt the desire to smile. He sounded like a child who'd accidentally broken a window and lived in fear of his mother's reprisal. "Sheldon, I doubt your mother will actually cause you physical harm over this. True, she might be a bit disappointed at first, but she'll get over it. So will your Meemaw. They love you and you could never do anything for them to stop loving you." The same holds true for me, she thought. After all the grief you've caused me, I still love you.

Sheldon was shaking his head. "You don't understand. You've met my mother, her religion is everything to her. How will she ever be able to hold her head up in church knowing her son has an illegitimate child on the way?"

Amy started at his words. "Illegitimate? Is that what you think? Like this baby will be an embarrassment to you?"

"In a word, yes." His tone wasn't hesitant in the least and his stark honesty had her choking back tears.

"How do you think that makes me feel?"

Sitting up straighter, he blinked, "I couldn't say how you feel. In the first place I don't go for all that 'hippy dippy' feeling stuff you seem so fond of, let alone know what's going on in your head."

She couldn't believe she was going to have to explain to him how belittling his statement was. Amy gulped, trying to work past the lump in her throat. "Sheldon, do you have any idea how cheap you made me feel that night? The humiliation I felt as you raced from my bed to wash away our love making?"

This time it was Sheldon who jerked. She could see the memory of that night was coming back to him in high definition detail, and all his uncontrolled movement was a precursor to flight. She couldn't let that happen. He'd go into lockdown mode letting everything fester. The only way either of them was going to get past the emotions of that night was to face them, whether they wanted to or not.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Amy took a breath then leveled her gaze on Sheldon. "Why did you come to my apartment that night?"

His twitching intensified. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well we have to! We're never going to move on if we don't talk about this!"

Crossing his arms, Sheldon turned away from her, leaving her facing his back. Amy knew his tactic of dismissal, but wasn't going to let him get away with it. She was frustrated with his immature behavior, but when Sheldon didn't want to budge, he was an immoveable force.

Amy waited, but Sheldon kept his jaw clenched in determination, still refusing to look at her. "Fine," she said standing up. "I reject your suggestion of marriage. Currently it is based solely on your need to please your mother and Meemaw and I don't feel it is a solid enough basis for a lasting relationship. If you change your mind about discussing what landed us in this particular circumstance, I'll be in the living room with our friends, who'll no doubt feel the urge to mock me and you as well." She started for the door and had her hand on the knob when his voice stopped her.

"Amy wait." He sighed, and when she turned around, Amy could see him rolling his eyes. "Fine. I'll submit to your blackmail. But I want it noted it was done under duress."

She couldn't help a triumphant smirk. "So noted." Moving back to the bed, Amy sat down, purposely moving a little closer to him. She was pushing it, she knew, but she didn't want him getting the impression he'd achieved any sort of victory. "My apartment. Why did you come over?"

Sheldon took his time in answering. "I hadn't planned on it." His voice was low. He looked up at her, then quickly away. "You know I'd been drinking."

"Yes. That was rather evident. I don't know what prompted your foray into the bottle."

"You, actually."

Amy was truly puzzled. What had she done? "I don't understand. I don't recall there being a problem prior to that evening."

Sheldon turned a little more in her direction. "You asked me to come to your conference with you." He inhaled. "And share a room with you." He kept casting little glances her way and Amy realized she'd played more of a role in the genesis of that night than she'd originally thought.

She slid a little closer to him, but didn't initiate any physical contact. "Sheldon, I'm sorry the thought of sharing a room with me caused you so much stress. It would have been two beds."

His attention focused on the comforter. "But that's not what you wanted. What you were really hoping for was we'd share the same bed." She wanted to deny his statement, but couldn't. Of course she was hoping their proximity might engender some show of interest or affection on his part, but she wasn't planning on it. If by chance something would have happened, she would have counted herself fortunate. As it was, she hadn't attended the conference, too distraught to focus on anything beyond getting up each morning and going to work.

"I'm sorry, Sheldon. I didn't realize the pressure I was placing on you."

His gaze met hers in an unwavering stare. "You always put pressure on me." he stated with no artifice, and suddenly, Amy felt ashamed for how relentlessly she pushed him to feel more for her.

Amy swallowed hard, brushing tears away. "I know, and I'm sorry." She gave a little ironic chuckle. "It seems like all I keep saying is 'I'm sorry.'" She hung her head, dejected. Was it any wonder their relationship was going nowhere when it was a constant tug-of-war? Each of them applying equal force?

"You're a good girlfriend, Amy." He'd said the words before, but this time they left her wondering what he was getting at. "I need pushing. I don't like it, but many times I am happy you've helped me to accomplish something I've found difficult. Not the closure thing, though," he was quick to point out. "What I'm saying is, I want to be that man who can give you what you need. I just don't know if I can."

Amy melted. Sometimes he could be so sweet, she wanted to leap into his lap, kiss him endlessly and never let go. Then his next words would be ill-considered and hurtful. She found she was waiting with trepidation for the bitter words, but for once they didn't come.

"Sheldon, you can. You did," she said, unconsciously placing her hand on her stomach. When she noticed what she was doing and where his gaze landed, she quickly pulled back. He was getting upset again, tears forming as the memories came over him.

"Amy, I'm above my base urges. When I'm in my right mind, I'm not driven by lust like most men."

"Is that why you were drinking? To try to lose your inhibitions?"

Sheldon's eyes glazed over, as if he was literally watching the events of that evening, then he turned to her. "Perhaps, in a way. I don't know that I consciously intended to do it." He paused, contemplating, then added, "I needed to talk to Penny, and since it involved discussing uncomfortable topics, I thought some alcohol might help me get the words out."

Amy was incredulous. "You were having trouble with words?"

He gave a breathy laugh, "I know, right?" Then, just as suddenly, he was serious again. "I asked her about dealing with the issue of our sharing a room. You know what she said? That I should kiss you! That was her advice! That if I kissed you, maybe some of the tension would go away. I tried to tell her it was ridiculous, but after a second drink, it didn't seem as preposterous as it first had."

Amy had never seen Sheldon drunk before the night he'd showed up at her door. Howard, however, had taken great delight in sending her the link to the YouTube video of Sheldon's award dinner where, with the aid of too much wine, he proceeded to make an ass of himself. And show it as well. She'd thought the experience had cured him of using alcohol as a proverbial crutch until word of his chivalrous confrontation with Wil Wheaton reached her. More than once she wished she'd taken him home the night he showed up at her door.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Amy concluded, "So you came to my apartment to see if kissing me would work."

Sheldon was looking down at his hands resting in his lap. "I guess. I don't really remember much of what happened, except. . .well. . .the part at the end." He flashed a glance at her, then looked away, bright patches of red standing out on his cheeks.

Amy shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want to think of the aftermath any more than he did. "Do you feel as though I took advantage of you?"

He thought for a moment. "No." He fidgeted some more. "Well, maybe a little." Looking up, Sheldon met her gaze. He looked so vulnerable, she wanted to assure him she would never do such a thing, but in truth, she had taken the opportunity he'd offered her. "Amy, you knew I wasn't myself."

Amy nodded. "I know, but when you started kissing me, any thoughts I had of stopping you flew right out of my head. You know how I felt, how I feel. You were touching me without me badgering you. I couldn't help myself." Amy knew she was flushed as bright red as he was. It wasn't easy being this honest with him, especially when he could revert to Condescending Sheldon at any moment. She took a fortifying breath. "Was there anything about that night you. . .liked?" Now she held her breath, hoping there was something about their encounter that wasn't repellant to him.

Sheldon's cheeks blazed anew. Whether he spoke or not, Amy knew the truth—he had enjoyed it. At least some of it. It gave her a new found sense of power to know she'd turned him on, and it was heady. The only trouble was, without alcohol, she doubted there would be a repeat performance. He'd already talked himself back into believing he was above sexual urges, and Sheldon's will was a formidable thing.

Sheldon was drawing patterns on the comforter with his index finger, his gaze following the movement. "There. . .might have been one. . .or two things that weren't awful."

Amy chuckled. "Wow, be still my heart." Sheldon looked up at that, almost angry.

"I don't think you appreciate how difficult this is for me. To talk to you, to admit. . . ."

"I do know, Sheldon." She sighed, knowing that was as close as she was likely to come to her answers. He was attracted to her, but there might never be another occurrence. Could she live with that? Was she willing to marry him in name only to satisfy the dictates of his relatives?

"So that brings us back to the original topic. I think we should get married."

"Sheldon, don't you think it's a bad idea to get married just because you mom and Meemaw will expect it of you?"

His face had the blank, 'I'm processing' stare she was all too familiar with. Then he turned to her. "No." She started to argue but he held his hand up. "Let me ask you a question. Have you told your mother?"

This time it was she who looked away. "Um, no. I haven't."

"And wouldn't you find it easier to tell her of her impending grandchild if you were married?"

Well, he has a point, she thought. "I suppose," she conceded.

"Nothing is going to change," he insisted. "I suppose we'll be required to live in the same household, but we will maintain separate rooms, and the Relationship Agreement will stand."

"You don't think we're going to need a Marriage Agreement? Right now we're back to electronic means of communication. I'm not going to be married to you and text you from my room!"

Sheldon wiggled around. "I suppose you're right, there will have to be some amendments, but regular coitus will not be one of them!"

"So what you're saying is we'd be glorified roommates."

He thought for a bit. "Yes."

"If that isn't a romantic notion," she quipped.

"Amy, romance has nothing to do with this. It's a matter of practicality." Amy burst into tears. She couldn't help it. Not that she ever expected Sheldon to propose on bended knee, but she hoped some expression of affection would accompany an offer of marriage.

"Amy, what's wrong?" he asked. He looked confused and upset by her tears but at the moment she couldn't give a rat's ass about his discomfort.

"You might at least tell me why you want to marry me!"

Sheldon sighed. "I thought we've been all through this!" He was shaking his head. "For someone whose I.Q. is nearly equal to mine, I wouldn't think I'd have to explain it again!"

Amy took a deep breath, trying to calm the hurt and disappointment she felt. "Isn't there any reason you want to marry me other than convenience? Don't you care about me at all?"

"Of course I care about you. You're my girlfriend!"

Bracing herself for more rejection, Amy tentatively asked, "Sheldon? Do you love me? Even a little?"

His face drained of all color and Amy was afraid he might faint. "I. . .well. . .that is. . . ."

"Never mind." she snapped. She knew the truth, why did she make him spell it out for her? Was she trying to hurt herself? She'd looked away, unable to face him and the despair she felt. She hadn't seen him move towards her or see him extend his hand, but suddenly, there it was, his palm lying on top of the back of her hand as he slid his fingers between hers. It wasn't the conventional palm-to-palm hand holding, but it had been so long since she'd had physical contact with him in any capacity, it was making her dizzy.

"Amy," he said softly. "I'm sorry you're upset. I want to tell you what you want to hear, but I don't want to lie, either."

She nodded, wiping tears from under her eyes with her free hand. "I'm not saying I'll never feel. . .that. . . for you. I just don't right now."

Amy blinked back fresh tears. He's just being honest. Would you rather he professed undying love and didn't mean it? "I know," she said, feeling the need to clear her throat. She looked down at his hand covering hers. "Can we at least put hand holding back into the Agreement?"

Sheldon sighed, once again rolling his eyes. "I suppose. But I want it noted. . ."

"That it was under duress," she finished for him, feeling a slight smile come to her lips. She took a deep breath, and on the exhale said, "Yes, Sheldon. I'll marry you."