A/N: Fair warning, I will be using lines from the episode, "The Platonic Permutation" for this chapter. We're getting there folks.

I got so excited and because I already have this chapter, I decided to post it now. :)

About ShelVan, well, I honestly don't want to give spoilers, but I'll just remind you that this story takes place between the Mystery Date Observation and The Earworm Reverberation, which is spread out in a just a little over a month time frame (imagine first week of November to second week of December). With that being said, things that happen in the story are either just days or couple of weeks apart, which means even if ShelVan happens, it will be short lived. So… end of blab. :p

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, plot and actual lines used on The Big Bang Theory that you can site in this fan fiction.

Chapter 10: The Expedient Probability

It was a few days away from thanksgiving and Sheldon still didn't know what to do with his extra ticket for the City Aquarium. He hasn't asked any of his friends because he wasn't sure which one to ask. All of them were pair bonded and he's the only one without a partner. He couldn't believe how sad that thought made him. Years ago, he wouldn't have minded; he might have even laughed at the notion of him being in a romantic relationship. Now, he can't help but feel incomplete when he remembers that he no longer has a girlfriend. What's more is that even Amy probably has someone during the holidays. She's been out, seeing other people, while he rejected the one person who showed interest in him because of punctuality issues. If he were being honest to himself, he just didn't have the heart to see anyone else, other than Amy. The thought of replacing her was too much for him. He just didn't want to do it.

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"If you can't support me when I'm lying, why are we married?" said Howard, while munching on some rice. His wife just frowned at him.

"Well, I don't understand why you can't just actually go with us? It's about time you give something back to the less fortunate," states Raj while Bernadette was nodding in agreement. Howard was looking back and forth between his best friend and wife. He was trapped between going to the soup kitchen and going to the aquarium with Sheldon. With an exasperated sigh, he said, "Fine. I'll go!"

"I'm sorry, but what about my invitation?" asked Sheldon who was looking at them with confusion and annoyance. He knows that his friends were never excited about the thought of spending time with him, but to display it so indiscreetly while he's in the same room was too much. The sting of rejection - an all, too familiar feeling that he often gets since he was a kid- from his friends, hurt more than he would care to admit.

"Well Sheldon, I am going to the soup kitchen for real now. Sorry. Maybe ask Stuart?" suggested Howard.

"Ugh, not Stuart!" Sheldon blurts out. He wasn't that fond of Stuart, enough to consider him a companion on thanksgiving.

"Sheldon, we're sorry, but we really just have other plans that day. Try asking someone else." Said Leonard.

"Maybe I'll just go by myself. I've been to places on my own before, I don't see how this time should be any different." Sheldon rose from his spot and walked back to his room, not glancing back in case he sees a reaction he didn't want to see, from his friends.

He sat in the middle of his bed, legs crossed. Sometimes he can't believe how rude his friends can be. He's a man with emotions too and can easily get hurt. He's not as indifferent as he used to be. Most days, he can even determine sarcasm and irony; that just annoyed him even more. He was staring at the tickets and was trying to figure out what to do with the other one. They're non-refundable so returning the other one was a lost cause. If Amy didn't break up with him, he wouldn't have such a conundrum. "Now... Who else can I ask..." he murmured, to himself. As if on cue, Vanessa's name appeared on his phone, signaling an incoming call. His stomach suddenly felt funny.

"Hello, Vanessa."

"Hi Sheldon. I was calling about my game disc. Did I leave it in your apartment?" Vanessa said, trying to sound cool. She knew that there will be some awkwardness between them after what happened, the last time they were together.

"Oh, yes. It was still in the console when you left so abruptly last Friday." Sheldon said, not sensing the hesitation in her voice when she spoke.

"Well, uhm... I had to leave before things got more awkward." She spoke with small voice.

"You found that awkward, too? Thank goodness! I thought it was just me!" he almost shouted, sounding relieved.

She was amused and was trying to fight laughter on the other line. Despite of the uncomfortable situation she put themselves in, she couldn't believe how clueless he was about what counts as awkward and what is not. Smiling, and finally relaxing since dialing his number, she apologized and asked tentatively, "Well it was my fault. I'm sorry. Do you think I can interest you in getting something to eat so I can make up for misbehaving like that?"

"What did you have in mind?" Sheldon's interest was piqued.

"I was thinking something Italian. I found this place a few blocks away, they have this pizza that I really liked. I forgot the name, it was..." she trailed off, trying to remember the place.

"Giacomo's!" "Giacomo's?" Speaking at the same time, Vanessa's coming out as a statement and Sheldon's, a question.

"That one!" Vanessa confirmed, beaming, at finding out another thing they both liked.

"When would you like to go?" He asked, trying not to sound excited about the prospect of free pizza.

"Are you free right now? I just finished having my car cleaned. I can drive by your apartment, so that I can also get my game."

"Sounds good to me. I'll see you soon."

"See you in a few." She dismissed. Sheldon grabbed his windbreaker jacket and went out of his room.

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Sheldon and Vanessa went out of Giacomo's and decided to get some frozen yogurt from the store next door. They chose a table at the far left, inside and decided to talk for a little while longer.

"So how's s your Superfluid Theory going?" Asked Vanessa, casually.

"My friend and co-author, Leonard, is working on a few tests, but we're going to have CERN run the theory soon. As you may be aware, that will take a while, and until such time that we get their results, I plan to further my studies about Dark Matter." Sheldon spoke, with his usual enthusiastic response when they're talking about Physics or any Science related topic.

"Well, I hope everything works out good." Vanessa offered, with a smile that always warms Sheldon's insides.

"Thank you. From this point on, all we can do is wait," he said, simply.

After depositing their trash, they walked out of the store and agreed that Vanessa would drive him home. It was a smooth trip, as they kept hitting green lights on their way back to his apartment. When they reached his building, Sheldon remembered his extra ticket.

"City Aquarium!" He uttered suddenly, making Vanessa jump slightly on her seat.

"What?" She asked with both eyebrows, raised.

"Uh... I have an extra ticket for the City Aquarium. They're having a lunch buffet on thanksgiving. Would you like to join me?" He asks timidly, head hanging low while shooting sideways glances at her.

She found him so cute that moment; asking her like a child who wanted to go to the playground. She was about to say yes, when she realized that he said thanksgiving.

"Did you say thanksgiving?" She tried to confirm, hoping she heard wrong.

"Yes. Do you have other plans, too?" He replied, pulling his head up and looking at her.

"Too? Why, who else did you invite?" She asks, feeling uncomfortable, learning that he had asked someone else before considering her.

Not seeing the slightly hurt look in her eyes, Sheldon decided to tell her the whole thing, "Well, originally the tickets were intended for my girlfriend, well ex-girlfriend now, and myself. We decided seven months ago because the tickets were discounted, then. As I understand, it is inappropriate to ask her if she wants to go, given our current association to each other. So then, I asked my friends, but they all had other things to do that day, too." He finished with a little crease in his forehead, showing his disappointment.

Vanessa didn't know about his ex-girlfriend. She had no idea that he was in a previous relationship, apparently not so long ago. He never mentioned anything about his former girlfriend. Now she wonders how many relationships he's been in. What were the other girls like? What's his type? Shaking the questions away, she refocused her attention on his offer. Which she will have to reject.

"Sheldon, I appreciate your offer. I'm really sorry though, but I'm actually flying to Texas on Wednesday for Thanksgiving. My family couldn't make it here so I'm going there instead.

Sheldon was stumped. Now what?He thought, not knowing how to respond. "Oh. No worries, I guess I'll just stay home that day. Leonard and his wife are hosting a dinner anyway."

"That sounds really fun; I'm sorry I can't go with you." She apologized again, seeing the loneliness in his blue orbs.

"It's not a problem." He said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but you may ask another one."

Trying not to roll her eyes, she continued, "Are you and your ex... civil, towards each other?"

"We are. In fact, she actually told me the last time I saw her that she still want us to be friends." He answered, looking thoughtful.

"And do you want to be friends with her?"

"I do. I don't adjust to changes, too well. We started out as friends, so to have that sense of normalcy again is most welcome."

Vanessa considered his words, before making her suggestion. "Why not ask her instead?"

Sheldon stared at her for a while, looking at her like she just asked him to jump in front of a moving car.

"What?" She asked, raising one eyebrow, "You said you're still friends, right? So why not?"

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to articulate a response. He looked away, and she noticed the sadness that crossed his features before it was replaced by a blank face. When he spoke, he sounded cold.

"Because she recently started seeing other people and I don't want to find out whether or not, she'll be spending Thanksgiving with another man."

At his words, Vanessa went quiet and looked away. She felt the tension coming off of him and she felt bad for bringing up the subject. Clearly, Sheldon was still hung up on the woman.

"I'm sorry. Forget that I said anything."

"I can't. I never forget. I have an eidetic memory." He said this like it's one of the worse things in the world. Vanessa understood why; he was probably thinking about the breakup. She imagined how it must feel to remember with perfect clarity, everything that happens to a person. Inevitably remembering every single detail of even the bad memories, when triggered.

It wasn't hard to deduce that Sheldon wasn't used to physical contact when you've observed how he cleans a chair with wet wipes, or how he uses Purell so often. In that moment though, Vanessa didn't know how else to empathize with the man; so pushing any doubts she had, she moved closer to him and wrapped him in a hug.

Sheldon froze at the sudden contact. He couldn't move or speak. He recognized the kind of hug that she was giving him. It's like the one he gave Leonard when Professor Proton passed away. One that means: I'm here and I care about you. After almost a minute, he started to relax in to her hold. Vanessa felt relieved that he didn't push her away, and Sheldon felt oddly comforted by her hug. They remained in that position for a while. Sheldon noticed the time on her dashboard that blinked 9:27. He sighed and patted her arm. She pulled back until she can see his face.

"It's getting late. I need to go." He said.

"Are you okay?" She asked, instead of acknowledging his statement. He nodded and she reluctantly released him.

"Thank you for dinner." He gave her half a smile and started to open the door. He was about to say good night and turned his head to where she was, but before either could stop, their lips were on each other's. They quickly pulled apart.

"I was aiming for your cheek! I didn't mean to-" Vanessa started to apologize, but stopped when Sheldon leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good night, Vanessa." With that, he got out of the car and didn't look back until he disappeared into their building.

It took Vanessa a while before she could give herself a head shake and started to drive again.

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You can't possibly be considering this, are you?! Sheldon, thought. Maybe he can ask her; he can try.

C'mon Cooper! She won't go with you! There's a reason she broke things off, so why do you think she would agree to spend thanksgiving with you?He thought, bitterly.

"Maybe I should just give her the tickets. She probably would find a companion." He whispered to himself. That seemed logical. He will just have to find out another time if he can finally gather enough courage to touch a star fish.

Sheldon was sitting on his desk chair thinking about Vanessa's suggestion. He finally dialed Amy on Skype. His heart made a leap, when her face popped on the screen.

"Hi Sheldon, what's up?"

"Well I'm calling because thanksgiving is coming up and I wanted to offer you the aquarium tickets."

"No one can go with you?"

"No, they'd rather spend the holiday with each other than to find out if this is the year I finally touch a star fish. Anyway, I wouldn't want the tickets to go to waste, so take whomever you'd like." He said, with sadness in his eyes that Amy didn't miss.

"Oh. Okay... Thank you." Time to be bold again, Fowler. It worked the last time; ask him!

"And feel free to tell your guest, that the Myanmar catfish is also known as the Pilgrim fish; In case the turkey is dry and you need something juicy." Even though he was hiding his loneliness by being pompous, Amy could still see through him. She felt sad that not one of their friends considered going with him. Although she can't blame them, given Sheldon's history of being a walking and talking Encyclopedia. Even in the past, only she can keep up, and even enjoy that side of Sheldon.

"Sheldon, I can tell you want to go. So if you'd be comfortable with it, maybe we could go as friends." Well, the question's out there now,Amy thought, nervous to hear his answer.

"You don't think that would be awkward?" He asked nonchalantly, though inside, he wanted to jump up and down because of excitement.

"Well, it is thanksgiving in an aquarium cafeteria so I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say yes," Amy said jokingly, trying to ease her nerves. "But if you mean, between us. I think it'll be fine." She finished, smiling at him. That seem to assure him that her invitation was sincere.

"Very well, then. I'll see you on thanksgiving morning." Said Sheldon, who was barely concealing his glee that the original plan was still happening. He couldn't believe his luck. He called her just so he can get rid of the ticket without wasting them; but instead, he got confirmation for their original plan to go together.

"See you then." Keep it cool, Fowler. Don't give away too much.

They talked for a few more minutes before they decided to end the video call. Later that night, Amy lay in her bed, too thrilled about the idea of spending Thanksgiving morning with him. She doesn't know how it will go, but all she's certain about is that she wouldn't have chosen any other way of spending that day. She's going to have to cancel on Penny, though. She planned on stopping by that day to take her up on her offer to spend the festivities with the group. She was positive though that her rejection of her bestie's offer would be well accepted because of her new excuse: A Thanksgiving with Sheldon.

Meanwhile, across town, there was a Theoretical Physicist in Los Robles who slept with a smile that hasn't been on his face for almost six months.