Amy opened the door to her apartment glancing round quickly, thankful she had tidied away before she had left home. Calling over her shoulder to Penny to make Mary some tea Amy hastily ran to her bedroom and began changing the bedding. Seeing her journal beside her bed she grabbed it and shoved it into her handbag. Satisfied the room was habitable Amy returned to the living room and found Penny and Mary not drinking tea but drinking the wine Amy had bought for her next girls night. Grinning at the thought of what Sheldon would say Amy said "Mrs Cooper, you son will think we are corrupting you!"
"Amy, I keep telling you its Mary! And believe me you girls would have to go some to corrupt me!"
Amy smiled relaxing at the thought Mary was not the pillar of sobriety and rules Sheldon had always painted her to be.
Accepting the glass Penny handed her Amy said "I have changed the bedding so it is ready whenever you want it."
"Will Pennys air-bed fit in there too?" Mary queried.
"Well yes, I guess, we may have to move the bed over a little."
"Then lets do it. It is years since I had a girls night. Meemaw doesn't count. I say we drink wine and talk about boys!" Mary giggled. Penny and Amy looked at each other and grinned.
"So Mary how come your son did not inherit you carefree fun side." Penny laughed.
"Ah because Shelly inherited the brains. The other two, they cause enough trouble having fun I couldn't cope with sheldon joining them too."
"Did he ever just go have fun?" Amy asked curious to hear his mothers view on her boyfriend.
"Well dear Shelly idea of fun and everyone else's vary. He really did think it was fun to read comic books and try to build lasers. If we told him he had to go play outside he'd have thought he was being punished. He was a good boy. Just different. And it wasn't easy for him."
Amy nodded in understanding.
Seeing her nod Mary said "You understand him don't you. You share his love of science. Do you like comic books too?"
"Oh no," Amy laughed. "But yes I do understand him, it wasn't easy for me growing up either. Finding sheldon, and Penny here, well its like making up for the friends I didn't have growing up."
Mary nodded. "I know Penny and Leonard have helped Sheldon so much, granted he isn't always thankful for it but I can see how much he has changed. And you!" she grinned at Amy now, "you have worked wonders. Do you know when I arrived today he hugged me without me having to ask. That has not happened since he was 5! and how he speaks of you. Not just to me but when he talks or writes to Meemaw too."
"He talks about me?" Amy asked stunned.
"Oh yes dear. He tells us all about your work. He is very proud."
Amy blushed. She couldn't believe Mary was telling her this. She knew sheldon wouldn't like it but she felt a certain amount of comfort that even if he couldn't say the words to her he was showing in other ways how he felt.
"So Penny," Mary turned her attention to the blonde girl sat cross legged on the air mattress, "this Leonard, is he going to make an honest woman of you?"
It was Pennys turn to look a little embarrassed now, "well he has asked but the timing was wrong. We have a new agreement. He has promised not to push and I have promised when ready I will ask him!"
Mary shook her head, "You youngsters! OK, my glass needs refilling!" and laughing as both Amy and Penny rushed to get out of the room to get the wine bottle Mary said to herself.
"Shelly chose good."
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"Sheldon I am sure neither your mother, nor Penny and Amy are going to want you waking them at 7 am!"
"But I was going to take them for breakfast!"
"Well give it an hour... or 2 even. Then I am sure they would love it."
Sitting back down in his spot Sheldon turned to Leonard. "Do you think it went OK?"
"I am sure it did. I haven't heard from Penny and I am assuming you haven't heard from Amy so I guess that means they were too busy having fun to call their men!"
Nodding considering Sheldon checked his phone again. He had done this at various points all through the night; even finding himself waking to check to see if Amy needed rescuing form his mother.
"Sheldon! Relax. Lets watch something on TV then you can call at a more civilised hour." Nodding Sheldon began flicking through the channels. Then turning to Leonard he said "Last night I didn't not have my full REM cycle."
"Oh?" Leonard half queried, almost scared to hear what was to follow, if Sheldon was about to come down with some illness he wanted nothing to do with it.
"I kept waking up, checking my phone. I was worried about Amy having my mother stay."
"Sheldon, Amy will be fine. Unless you have some big secret your mother is likely to disclose I cant see why you are so worried." Leonard grinned eyebrows raised in question.
"No of course not," sheldon scoffed shaking his head, "its just Amy does not know my mother and now she has been asked to cope with her all night. I feel... oh I don't know." Sheldon huffed as he struggled to identify what he was feeling.
Knowing this was hard on Sheldon Leonard looked at him seriously.
"You know I am sure Amy would be flattered you cared enough to worry. In fact you maybe should text her. Ignore what I said before. And Sheldon, you said before you didn't dream of Amy, well I am sure the fact you messed up your REM cycle would mean just as much to her."
73
The phone beeping woke Amy, who groaned and reached out her hand blindly in search of the noise.
"Shhhh!" Penny muttered next to her. Turning away from the noise and pulling a pillow over her head. Amy, unable to find the phone also quickly went back to sleep but both girls were woken minutes later by the bedroom door being flung open and Mary Cooper chirping "Morning sleepy heads!"
Groaning again Amy opened one eye and tried to focus on the woman who was now opening the blinds, letting the early morning sunlight shine into the room.
"What the hell..." Penny muttered trying to sink lower under the covers.
"Come on, up you get, the days a wasting!"
Amy sat up slowly. Kicking a sleepy Penny next to her. "Come on I'm not doing this alone." She muttered as Mary bustled back out of the room.
"At least I know where her crazy son gets his early morning rituals from now!" Penny moaned holding her head. "How can she be that alert when she drank as much if not more than us last night?"
"I have no idea." Amy muttered standing carefully and moving towards the bathroom, "but if she is like him in other ways she wont give up until we are out there so hurry up!"
As if to prove Amy right Mary reappeared and smiled, "Oh good, your up! Shelly just called, Amy he said he had been texting you and you hadn't replied. He is going to take us to breakfast. He will be here in about 15 minutes."
"I need coffee!" Penny said as she moved past Mary into the living room.
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Leonard grinned as he looked at Penny and Amy sat quietly trying to hide just how hung over they were while Mary and Sheldon happily chatted away.
"How come you drank so much with Mrs Cooper there?" He asked Penny quietly so Sheldon didn't overhear.
"She drank more than us! I swear the woman is indestructible. And the stories! God if sheldon knew."
"If sheldon knew what?" Came the voice of the physicist from across the table.
"Oh.. er... I was just saying if Sheldon knew what fun we had he'd have been jealous."
"I hardly think so Penny. And from the looks of both you and Amy I hope mother wasn't too bored as you too got drunk."
His censoring tone almost made Penny spill just who had drank the wine the previous night but Mary cut in saying, "Now Shelly. The girls were nothing but hospitable. They kept me entertained and made sure I was well looked after."
Penny hide her snort well, while Amy just nodded quietly and signalled for more coffee.
"So what shall we do today?" Sheldon asked brightly, happy his mother seemed to have enjoyed her evening. "We could go to the science museum?" He looked at his mother hopefully.
"I tell you what baby," she said smiling at his enthusiasm "you come to church with me and I will come to the museum with you." Sheldon considered the deal then nodded. "Amy?" He questioned hopefully.
"Sheldon I am sorry," Amy did her best to look sincere, "but I have some work I must finish. Maybe we can meet up later."
"Oh, OK." Sheldon was disappointed but nodding said "I will call you later then."
As the group made their way to the cars parked outside, Mrs Cooper travelling back with Leonard, Penny watched them drive away then said questioning to Amy "Work?"
Amy snorted, "no bed!"
Penny grinned "yeah me too!"
73
3 hours later, fully rested Amy sat open mouthed as she read and reread the numerous texts Sheldon had sent her the night before. It appeared in her drunken state she had not heard her phone go and Sheldon had obviously been trying very hard to contact her. In the texts he told her he had woken every hour through the night thinking of her!
Amy nudged Penny with her foot. Penny who had been reading a magazine looked over,
"What?" She questioned then took the phone which Amy held towards her. Soon Pennys expression was the same as Amy. "Wow! That is so sweet! Not at all like Sheldon, but sweet!"
"I know and I didn't even mention it this morning. He is going to think I don't care." Amy almost sobbed as she realised how bad it must look.
"Oh I don't know," Penny said "think about it Amy, if you had made a fuss, or even made a comment in front of his mother he'd have got all defensive, maybe it is best you didn't say anything. Why don't you just reply now."
Realising Penny could be right Amy typed a quick message saying she hoped sheldon had enjoyed the museum and that she was looking forward to seeing him later. What shocked her was the speed with which he replied. "Amy church was the normal religious mumbo jumbo but the museum was a hoot! Mother is looking a little weary and has expressed the desire to come home and rest before meeting later. I hope this is OK. We should be with you shortly." Jumping into action Amy scattered some work papers on the table, straightened the bed her and Penny had crawled out of not long before, sitting on the end of the bed she pulled her journal out of her bag and wrote.
I can not believe how well last night went. Mary is so much more fun that I expected, I can see where Sheldon gets so many of his qualities from now. I can not believe Sheldon sent me so many texts, he must be tired himself, I seemed to receive one per hour through out the night. He must have been worried we were corrupting his mother! Little does he know. I am kind of sad her visit is so short it has actually been fun!
Hearing Sheldon's signature knock Amy put her journal away and went to answer the door. Mary after kissing both girls hello headed straight to the bedroom while Sheldon settled down next to Penny on the sofa.
"So tell me, how much exactly did my mother drink last night?"
Penny grinned and said "how did you know?"
"Because she agreed to go to the museum. Because she didn't even push the issue when I said made sound scientific counter arguments to the sermon in church!"
Penny laughed, looking at Amy she said "I'll let you fill him in, I am going to go home and try to look more presentable before tonight. I'll see you guys later."
Looking at Amy Sheldon said "Well?"
Amy smiled, "Sheldon we had a lovely night. Yes your mother had a drink, but we didn't exactly have to pin her down and force it down her neck. And she seemed to be fairing a lot better than both Penny and me."
"Hmm. So how come you didn't reply to my texts?" Sheldon asked now a little less confident.
"Well to be honest I didn't see them until I got back after breakfast. My phone had gone under the bed."
"Oh, I thought you were ignoring me."
"Sheldon, no! Although I admit I was surprised."
"Yes well, to be honest I was too. Amy I was worried."
"Why?"
"I just wasn't sure how it would go. I thought I might need to come over."
"Oh Sheldon. Everything was fine. In fact I am kind of sad your mother is only here for this weekend. It has been fun."
Eyes wide Sheldon said "I am glad. Now how about some tea while we wait for mother to resurface then we can decide where to eat."
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"Shelly I have had a lovely visit thank you. Now next time you come visit make sure you bring that girl of your with you. Meemaw is mad enough she missed meeting her this time she would never forgive me if I didn't make sure you brought her to visit."
Sheldon smiled, "Yes I know, Meemaw and Amy would get on well."
"She is lovely Sheldon, Mary said seriously looking directly at her son. "Look after her!"
Sheldon nodded. "I will try mother."
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