Not much to say here.

What are you waiting for? Go on, read the next chapter, hurry!

(I LOVE YOU)

After a quick round of joint cleaning and doing the dishes, Howard, Raj and Bernadette said their goodbyes and went on their way. Mary, Sheldon, Penny and Leonard remained behind, all sitting in the living room. After a few moments of no one knowing what to do or say, Sheldon rose from his seat and headed towards his bedroom.

That would be enough social interactions for one evening.

"Not so fast, mister." Mary Cooper's voice held the authority of a Navy SEAL.

Turning on his heels, Sheldon gulped and stepped back towards his mother.

"You know what, we're just going to give you guys some privacy." Leonard quickly said, grabbing Penny's hand and making their way to the apartment door.

"It'll only take a minute." Mary said with a smile.

"Oh, don't worry. I just have to… grab something at Penny's, and then I'm coming right back to drive you to the airport, Mrs. Cooper." Leonard said, returning her smile and with that the door swiftly closed behind the pair.

Mary slowly rose from her seat and turned to face Sheldon, who was looking down at his shoes.

"You're just going to leave without wishing your mother a safe trip home? That's not the son I raised." She said.

Sheldon shifted the weight from one foot to another, realizing his faux pas.

"My apologies. Have a safe trip home, mother." He said, meeting the expected social convention at such a departure.

Mary stepped closer to him, caught between leaving him be and giving him some final words.

"You know, I've never really told you why I like this relationship you have with Amy."

Sheldon slowly looked up, meeting her eyes.

"I suppose not." Was his response, not asking her to elaborate and not asking her to drop the subject either.

"Well, it's because I think she is different from anyone you have ever tried to establish any kind of relationship with – I saw it from the first time I witnessed you two in the same room together. You know why she's different?" Mary's question was not asking Sheldon to answer, but he did anyways, shaking his head slightly.

"I see you with the rest of your friends, and they all like you and you like them for the most part, it's all good. But sweetheart, I don't think it's any secret that you've always had problems with understanding people, and people have problems understanding you. You see, your friends, they like you despite all of your quirks and peculiarities. But Amy – she likes you because of your quirks. She embraces every part of you. And that is rare."

Sheldon swallowed hard, averting his eyes back to his shoes – this conversation had turned out much deeper than he had expected. Like both Leonard, Raj, Penny and Howard his mother was speaking words of truth, and they weighed heavy on his heart.

Mary didn't have much more to say, and she knew her son had heard enough. With a few swift steps she was in front of him enveloping him in a motherly hug.

"Now, you do what you gotta do and call me afterwards. I want to know everything."

Sheldon absentmindedly padded his mother on the back, returning her hug as he nodded his head in approval. Taking a step back Mary grabbed him by the shoulders and locked her eyes with his.

"I love you, Sheldon." She said with a sincere smile.

Sheldon looked down again.

"Love you, too." He mumbled.

He heard his mother sigh and gazing back up he was met by a pair of uncertain eyes. He quickly averted his eyes back downwards.

"I actually mean that, you know." He said quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

His mother squeezed his shoulders in a knowing manner.

"I know you do." She said in a warm tone.

Just then Leonard reappeared, tentatively opening the door, causing Mary to let go of her son's shoulders and turn to gather her things. Swinging her jacket around her and picking up her bag she took one last look at her son, who looked back at her with an unreadable look on his face. She placed a kiss on his cheek and smiled at him.

"Oh by the way, Sheldon, did I tell you that I bought your Meemaw a new phone?" She asked casually, stepping closer to the door that Leonard was holding open for her.

Sheldon furrowed his brows.

"No, you did not."

"Well, I did. God knows that the other one was older than me, it was about time." Her voice was still light and casual. Just before she stepped out the door she looked at him in a saying manner.

"The phone is new, but her number is still the same."

And without another word she was gone the slight 'click' of the door leaving Sheldon completely alone with his apartment and his thoughts.

Back in Glendale a certain neurobiologist was pacing her apartment with impatient steps. Her phone was held in a death grip in her hands as she passed by the kitchen counter for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. It was exactly an hour ago that she had received the text message that had brought her on the verge of sanity.

Sheldon was asking for a meeting. He didn't specify what the subject of said meeting would be, but you wouldn't need a Ph.D. to know what he wished to talk about. And she knew that according to the newly modified Relationship Agreement she was obligated to agree to the meeting. How could she forget? It was after all her idea that they added that part about either party being able to convey a meeting to discuss relationship matters with a 24 hour notice to their verbal agreement. She had said it, Sheldon had agreed to it and they had both signed the paper. It was final.

There was of course always the opportunity for her to decline the meeting, asking for a different date. But then she would be throwing away the only and last chance to get her relationship with Sheldon back on track again. The 72 hours were almost over, the clock was ticking in a steady and unforgiving rhythm.

She would have to agree to the meeting. She knew that. What other choice did she have?

That knowledge still didn't change the fact that she hadn't been able to make herself answer the text, to agree to the meeting.

Why?

She had no idea. There were just a lot of questions desperately missing answers.

Would he talk to Kripke? Would he sincerely apologize to her? Would he redeem himself and attempt to right his wrong? Or would he just try another compromise, try to come out of this with as a small part of his pride hurt as possible? Perhaps he was now feeling the deadline creasing in on him, using the Relationship Agreement to force her to meet him and his hurtful demands once again.

Or maybe not?

She stopped her pacing, placing her phone on the kitchen counter and burying her face in her hands, sighing loudly.

There was only one way to know for sure.

Get a grip, Fowler.

Steading herself and taking a few deep breaths she slowly raised her head and picked up her phone. Turning it on, she re-read the text message from Sheldon for the billionth time that evening. With one last spur of determination, she brought her fingers to the screen, scripting her response.

She would agree. But it would be on her terms.

Sheldon

I accept your request. The meeting will happen tomorrow evening at 6 pm in my apartment.

Amy

There. Short and precise. Exhaling from her nose she pressed send and placed the phone back on the counter.

All she could do now was wait.

After his mother's departure Sheldon had stayed where he was, seemingly joined to the floor beneath his feet with an unbreakable force. The monotone hum of the refrigerator brought him back to his senses, as he turned on his heels and slowly made his way to his bedroom.

It was too early for his scheduled bedtime, but with everything going on he desperately needed sleep to overtake him, hopefully silencing his mind and numbing the nervousness currently bubbling somewhere between his chest and stomach. Stepping in to his darkened bedroom he didn't bother turning on the light, making a beeline for his closet instead. Taking out his pajamas and placing them on his bed he began his nightly routine with precise and rehearsed movements.

A bright light shone through the darkness, halting his movements immediately as his fingers froze in the middle of buttoning up his pajama top. Looking down at his bed it took him less than a second to recognize the source and meaning behind the sudden ray of harsh light.

He just received a text.

The air hitched in his throat and he once again found himself rooted where he stood as his heartbeat quickened, looking not unlike a deer caught in headlights. There was no doubt about the sender of that text. The context of it was of crucial importance, it could bring the news of hope or devastation. As the sharp light faded and his screen once again turned black, Sheldon swallowed and tentatively stepped closer, picking the phone up with uncertain hands. Swiping the screen lock open he pressed his thumb to the tiny image of an envelope, opening the text message and quickly reading it.

A wave of relief washed over him as his pale blue eyes skimmed over the screen, reading the affirmation of his request. She had agreed to the meeting, he had been granted a last chance to redeem himself. He re-read it once again. So it was settled. Tomorrow evening at 6 pm at her apartment. Sheldon Cooper was not a stupid man, he knew exactly why this meeting would take place in the comfort of her home. That would give her the home court advantage, leaving him in unfamiliar waters without the comfort of his spot, his bedroom or rules.

Well played, Amy Farrah Fowler.

Sheldon let out a breath of relief as he turned to place his clothes in the hamper. So far so good.

As he settled down under the covers of his bed Sheldon felt the sudden spree of fleeing joy this small victory in form of a text message had brought him fading, giving rise to a new sensation. He couldn't quite pin it down. He searched his emotional archive but was unable to thoroughly match it with anything. The guilt was still nagging in his chest – somehow reduced ever so slightly now that he knew for certain that there was still the faintest hope to right his wrong. No, it wasn't guilt. It was something else. Something akin to a sort of sadness, perhaps. Something making him feel that this whole situation, the meeting and everything it would contain was… not right. He furrowed his brows in irritation, unable to determine what was wrong. After another few moments of seedless contemplation he huffed in despair, closing his eyes forcefully. He had to sleep. He would need all of his strength for the undoubtedly challenging day that lay ahead of him.

Sheldon's night was restless and hard to get through. He found himself constantly tossing and turning; thoughts, nervousness and unanswered question blocking every pitiful attempt he made to drift of. When he finally managed to actually fall asleep he would quickly wake up again, never getting more than an hour or two of continuous sleep.

So by the time morning came he was already awake. Lying flat on his back he starred unseeingly up at the ceiling above him, listening to the agonizing sound of his alarm going of next to him. He allowed it to just go ahead and ring, his entire body seemingly immobile, right up until the point where the persistent ringing became too much for his ears and mind to handle. With a long sigh he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, silencing the alarm with a swift motion.

He stood up and rolled his neck a few times from one side to the other. He felt surprisingly calm now that he was up. There was a never-decreasing nervousness rooted in the midst of his abdomen, yes, but a dominant part of his brain was determined, expectant about the task that lay ahead of him. He knew it would be embarrassing, he knew it would be difficult and he knew the smug look on Kripke's face when he found out that he had actually excelled at something scientific that Sheldon hadn't would be almost unbearable.

But at the same time he knew he had to do it, he knew he could not leave things unfinished and he knew that nothing could be more difficult than having to live with that insufferable guilt still raging in his chest.

With slow steps he made his way to the bathroom, going over his morning routine with an air of determination. Back in his bedroom he pulled out a pair of pants, a shirt and his batman t-shirt. He needed his powers today more than any other day. To pursuit what was right and just, even in the most hopeless of situations. The dark knight Amy deserved.

Pulling the t-shirt over his head, he smoothed it down, resting a hand momentarily on top of the black and yellow print of the batman-sign. Taking a deep breathe he opened his bedroom door and made his way to the kitchen.

Leonard was already up, sipping coffee and leaning against the kitchen table, apparently lost in thought. Sheldon's presence brought him back to reality causing him to stand up right, eyeing him apprehensively.

"Good morning." Sheldon said courtly, reaching up to grab his cereal.

"Good morning." Leonard answered, mimicking Sheldon's courtly tone of voice.

They stayed in silence like that, Sheldon preparing his breakfast and Leonard sipping at his coffee with a frown on his face.

The frown and the unmistakable nervous fumbling of hands that were a classic Leonard tell-tale of nervousness did not go by Sheldon unnoticed. After living with someone for almost a decade you start catching up.

"So… How did you… uhm… sleep?" Leonard finally uttered, raising his eyebrows in a manner that would lead an onlooker to believe that Sheldon's sleeping pattern was the most exhilarating topic of his entire existence.

Sheldon didn't answer, instead he opened the refrigerator and grabbed the milk, pouring the white liquid onto his cereal with a crisp sound.

"Leonard, if there is something you wish to talk about, please spare both yourself and me the agony of futile chit chat and simply get to the point."

Sheldon's voice was calm as he placed the milk back and started poking his cereal with the end of his spoon in order to cover the flakes with milk. He heard Leonard let out a long sigh from beside him as his tiny roommate leaned in over the table, resting his weight on his forearms and trying to catch Sheldon's gaze.

"Okay, fine. Are you ready to talk to Kripke?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

A moment of silence arose.

"Do you want me to go with you? You know what a douche he can be, maybe you need some moral support?"

"No. I appreciate the sentiment behind your offer, but I can handle this on my own. I was the one who lied about the lacking quality and prosperity of my work, which means that I am going to deal with the aftermath of my actions. No one else."

Leonard nodded his head, a little impressed by Sheldon's words and the certainty in his eyes. Maybe there was really no reason for him to worry, seemed like the tall physicist next to him knew what he was doing.

"All right, Sheldon. Just be sure to let me know if there's anything I can do. And hey…"

Leonard placed a hand on Sheldon's forearm. Sheldon swallowed the cereal in his mouth, before tracing his look from Leonard's hand, up his arm to the pair of well-known bespectacled brown eyes that were looking back at him in all seriousness.

"You are doing the right thing."

Sheldon simply nodded and returned his attention to his almost empty bowl of now pretty soggy cereal. After finishing his cup of coffee, Leonard made his way to the bathroom to get himself ready for work. Sheldon cleaned his bowl after finishing eating just as someone knocked on the door. Leonard emerged from the hallway, making his way over to open the apartment door with a strong suspicion of who to expect on the other side. Who else?

Penny kissed her boyfriend good morning before sashaying into the living room.

"Good morning, Sheldon." She said, her voice expectant.

"Good morning, Penny."

"So, are you ready to go save the day? Set the record straight with that Kripke-fella. You know what? I should totally go with you. I'll bring my baseball bat, just as a kind reminder of what Nebraska feels like when you piss it off. I'm not saying we should actually physically harm him, but there's nothing wrong in strongly suggesting it."

Penny's declaration threw both Sheldon and Leonard of their guard. Finally, Sheldon cleared his throat, eyeing the blonde woman tentatively.

"Penny, please. I know you mean well, but your rough and quite frankly disturbing ways will not solve this problem. I have no intention of going to jail for you – again."

That shut her up.

"Well, then… Good luck. Do your thing, sweetie." She said, shooting him a smile.

Sheldon nodded and made his way to his messenger bag, packing the remainder of his things.

"I will."

He then turned to Leonard.

"Are you ready?" He asked his roommate who shared a look with his girlfriend before answering.

Sheldon was clearly ending the conversation.

"Yeah, let's go."

Quite a few things could bring Sheldon Cooper to the verge of a mental melt down.

Someone using his toothbrush.

Anyone fiddling with the thermostat at his apartment.

When people wouldn't let him finish his sentence.

And now he had a new thing to add to that list. When your least favorite colleague, who you specifically told to meet you in your office first thing in the morning, completely disregards your appointment, leaving you waiting for hours without as much as a phone call or text message.

Sheldon paced his office like a caged lion, impatiently checking his watch every other minute.

He had been waiting for two and a half hours, and yet Kripke was nowhere to be found. He had even called that unreliable physicist-wannabe several times with no answer. Looking down at his clock again he huffed loudly, it was well past noon.

Where was that good for nothing disgrace to the world as a whole?

Had he forgotten about the appointment? Very likely considering his less than impressive intelligence and sloppy ways.

Had he fallen victim for some sort of malady or accident? One could only hope.

But alas, no such luck.

Not long after the unmistakable frame of the infamous Barry Kripke casually strutted into Sheldon's office, sandwich in hand and an indifferent look on his face, like he had no care in the world.

Sheldon was practically fuming.

"Cwooper." Kripke said mouth full of sandwich.

"Kripke." Sheldon answered through clenched teeth.

"You're late; I was expecting you hours ago."

Kripke just shrugged his shoulders and took another bite of his sandwich.

"I am finding your disregard of a scheduled meeting very disturbing. I specifically asked you to meet me here first thing in the morning! It is now past noon and you have the audacity to just waltz in here and…"

Sheldon was cut short as Kripke rolled his eyes at him.

"Bwah, bwah, bwah, keep your pwants on, Nancy. I'm here now, awwight? So wet's get this over with. What do you want?"

Sheldon's anger quickly recoiled to give place for the sensation of nervousness still lurking in the back of his mind as he realized that now was not the time for a lecture on proper manners. There were much more urgent matters to be discussed. Composing himself, he swallowed and made his way past Kripke, quickly closing the door behind him, wanting to keep the conversation private. Returning to the front of his desk he turned to face what not too long ago seemed impossible to face. He drew in air through his nose slowly before talking.

"I asked you here today in order to discuss what transpired during our latest collaboration." He tried his best to keep his voice steady and firm.

Kripke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, taking another bite of his sandwich, talking with his mouth open, something that was enough to make Sheldon squirm.

"Yeah, what about it?"

Sheldon eyed the man standing across from him, suddenly feeling the words clog themselves together in the back of his throat. He opened his mouth a couple of times, but not a sound passed his lips.

Kripke looked at him expectantly for a few minutes before huffing loudly.

"Come on, spiww it, Cooper! I actuawwy have mowe impowtant things to do than tawking to…"

His arrogant tone of voice seemed to give back Sheldon his ability to form coherent sentences, as he cut Kripke short.

"As you might recall at that time I shared some very… private… information about my physical relationship with my girlfriend."

Kripke chewed away as a big fat smirk appeared on his face.

"Of couwse I wemember! You couwdn't ewen think stwaight with aww the waid you were getting! Youw work was tewwibwe! Wait, did you just caww me hewe so you couwd bwag about youw steamy nights with that hot bwunette of youws? I wove it! I want aww the details!"

Sheldon felt an angry heat rising from the pit of his stomach all the way to his ears, neck and cheeks, causing him to feel the urge to shove the rest of that sandwich forcefully down Kripke's throat.

He clenched his jaws, needing Kripke to shut up more than ever.

"That is Dr. Fowler to you, Kripke! I will not have you talking in such degenerate terms about her!"

Kripke's smirk just grew wider as he shook his head.

"So what's youw point, Cwooper?"

Sheldon prayed to a deity he didn't even believe in to give him the strength needed to formulate the next sentence without hurling Kripke out the window.

"My point, Kripke, is that it was all a lie." He said, surprisingly loud and clear, locking his eyes with his colleague. As the words left his lips, he sucked in breathe and felt slightly relieved.

"There, I said it. It was a lie. My work was not suffering from extensive sessions of coitus."

Kripke furrowed his brows at him in complete confusion once again, until he suddenly seemed to realize what Sheldon was implying.

His eyes grew wide and his mouth turned to an "O" as he pointed his half eaten sandwich at Sheldon, who was now bracing himself for the humiliation.

"So if youw wowk wasn't shitty becauwse of you getting waid ewewy night then that can onwy mean one thing: The oh so gweat Sheldon Cwooper was a compwet faiwure! And thewe is no excuse fow it!"

And that was when the laughter began. Loud, mocking and revengeful.

Leonard looked at Penny as they both ate in silence in his lab. Their impromptu lunch-date had quickly turned into a silent eating session for two, as both their minds were occupied by someone else.

Sheldon.

He sighed and tried to smile at her, but failed miserably. She looked at him with worried eyes as she slowly chewed her food.

It was torture.

"Okay, that's it!" Leonard exclaimed, tossing his plastic fork back into the container of pasta salad in front of him.

"I have to go over there, what if Kripke completely destroyed him? Or what if Sheldon didn't tell him the truth?!"

Penny was on her feet in the matter of seconds, her voice relieved.

"Oh my god, you to? I have this creepy feeling that Sheldon needs us."

The couple eyed each other for a short second as understanding and determination flowed between them.

"Let's go."

Sheldon Cooper was no stranger to being laughed at. Laughter had followed him wherever he went ever since his toddler years.

Teachers would laugh at him, the other kids would laugh at him, even his own siblings would laugh at him. His father would laugh at him.

"Why are you so weird, Sheldon?"

"Why can't you act more normal, Sheldon?"

"What is wrong with you, Sheldon?"

"Get over yourself, weirdo."

But no one laughed at his work. No one. How could they? He was undoubtedly a genius.

His brain was his only forte, his brilliance his only safety.

But it would seem as if that wasn't sacred anymore either.

Reading numbers wrong on a table was one thing, an honest mistake. Getting his results tempered with by his friends was one thing, it never reflected back on his academic abilities. But being completely and utterly humiliated by the hands of a slimy and downright repulsive personality like Barry Kripke was a whole different story. Seeing the gloating look in his eyes said everything.

Barry Kripke had without a doubt excelled at something Sheldon Cooper hadn't. It was almost unbearable.

Kripke's laughter grew louder, as Sheldon's head hung lower.

"Who's being pubwised in Mad Magazine now, Cwooper?" Kripke asked with a wide grin, laughter still bubbling in his voice.

Sheldon didn't meet his eyes, he kept looking at his feet and hoped for this nightmare to end soon as a nervous tick presented itself in the corner of his right eye.

As Kripke's laughter subsided he took a single step closer to Sheldon, straightening his back and gloating in all of his glory.

"I awways knew you were compwetewy overwated, Cwooper." He said in a smug tone of voice before turning on his heels and making his way to the door.

It could have been so easy. Kripke could have left it at that, opened the door and stepped outside to let everyone know about the lacking prosperity of Sheldon Cooper.

It could have been so easy.

But, alas, no such luck.

Right as Kripke reached out his hand to grab the door knob something seemed to dawn on him.

He turned slowly, a frown on his face, sandwich long forgotten as he now seemed to be using it as a pointing stick currently pointing at Sheldon.

"Howd your howses, back up a moment. You said it was aww a wie?"

Sheldon had no idea what he was referring to, but something in Kripke's voice made him uneasy.

"So wet me get this stwaight… That means you had no sessions of coitus with youw giwfwiend? Oh my god, Cwooper, pwease don't teww me you'we a viwgin?"

Sheldon felt a lump in his throat as he slowly looked up, but still not meeting Kripke's eyes.

How much further could this humiliation go on?

"Oh my god, you awe!" Kripke exclaimed, sounding as if he just discovered a second head on Sheldon's shoulders.

There was absolutely no doubt that Kripke was enjoying every last second of this showcase. It was like Hanukkah, Christmas and Ramadan all in one.

"Figuwes. You awe both fweaks. Can't say I bwame you, Cwooper! I don't have a picky taste, but youw giwfwiend is sewiouswy the weirdest, fwumpiest, most unattwactive…"

Kripke was cut short as Sheldon stepped closer to him in two swift steps, now basically hovering over him and locking his now blazing blue eyes with Kripke's gaze. The anger in his stomach had spread like wildfire to the rest of his body at the insult to Amy. It was so intense that it caused the blood flowing through his veins to drop several degrees.

"I already told you, Kripke, it's Dr. Fowler to you!" Sheldon growled, his voice dark and threatening.

"Amy Farrah Fowler is the brightest and kindest of people and a low-down polecat as yourself can only hope to one day be just half the scientific success she is. Let me make this crystal clear to you, Kripke. You can tell all the jokes you will on my behalf, I even challenge you to come up with any insult that I haven't already heard. Go ahead and make all your snide comments about my intelligence or lack of coital experience, be my guest, because both you and I know that on any given day I am your intellectual superior. You got lucky once, that's all.

But if you ever talk about Dr. Fowler with anything but the highest respect and dignity, you'll have to answer to me. I might lack the upper body strength to cause you any severe physical damage, but I've got an eidetic memory, determination beyond your belief and a lifetime worth of patience. If you cross ways with me, I swear on Einstein's grave that I will make your life a living hell. I will turn your entire existence into a live reenactment of the seventh ring of hell. Do you understand?"

Sheldon's voice never rose above a threatening whisper, but it didn't have to. His eyes held such furry and raw anger that it was enough to leave Kripke nailed to the spot with a slightly frightened look on his face.

The two physicists held each other's gaze until Kripke seemed to pull himself together. Taking a step back he swallowed, shaking his head slightly as a sneaky smirk found its way back to his face. Reaching behind him, Kripke turned the doorknob, preparing himself to leave hastily after throwing one last comment in Sheldon's direction.

"Say what you want, Cwooper. You awe stiww a woser. You awe stiww a viwgin in youw thiwties who faiw at ewewything with a mouwsy giwfwiend who dwesses wike my gwandmother."

And with that Kripke shut the door closed in one quick motion, causing Sheldon's blood to boil. He stepped forcefully towards the door, prepared to give Kripke a verbal telling off unlike any other, but then he heard voices coming from the other side.

"Hey Hofstadter! What awe you doing hewe? You awe not going to bewieve it, Cwooper is sewiouswy a bigger fweak than we thought. Get this, he's stiww a viwgin and…"

But something hindered Kripke in finishing his sentence as he let out a loud yelp followed by a thud.

Sheldon quickly opened the door to find him pinned to the wall by two strong Nebraskan hands.

Penny had a firm grip on his collar, pressing him flush to the wall behind him as she moved dangerously close to Kripke in an intimidating manner, breathing heavily and eyes squinted. She was in killer mode.

"You listen here, doucheface! Sheldon Cooper is brilliant, a genius and more man than you will ever be, do you hear me?! And that "frumpy" girlfriend of his just so happens to be my best friend. Maybe Sheldon can't cause you physical damage, but believe me, I can! So if you ever, just even once, talk to either Sheldon or Amy like that, you'll find me right behind you, cornhusker in hand, ready to introduce you to a world of pain yet unknown to mankind!"

Kripke struggled to get out of her grip, but it was no use. Leonard tentatively moved next to his girlfriend, looking at Kripke with an angry frown.

"Yeah… That!" He said, crossing his arms and pointing a finger at Penny.

Kripke's eyes darted back and forth between Leonard and Penny in disbelief and fear.

"Have I made myself clear, butt wipe?!" Penny asked, never letting go of Kripke, who swallowed hard and nodded his head slowly.

After another moment Penny released him, causing Kripke to fall down. Once he regained his balance, he desperately tried to smooth out his shirt. Penny took a step closer to him.

"Scamp!"

And so he did.

As Kripke disappeared down the hall, Penny and Leonard turned slowly to face Sheldon, who stood in the door frame with a flabbergasted look on his face.

"Look, buddy, we're sorry. I know you said you wanted to deal with this on your own, but we just had to make sure Kripke didn't cross a line." Leonard said apologetically, fumbling his fingers.

"Yeah, sweetie. We're sorry. But hopefully this will learn that little weasel not to mess with you or Amy." Penny chimed in.

Sheldon swallowed and looked down at his feet, nodding.

"So, there's still some time before you have to meet up with Amy. Do you want to go home?" Leonard asked tentatively.

Sheldon pondered for a moment before nodding his head again. Without another word he went into his office, packed his belongings and stepped back outside. As he turned to lock the door, he shifted the weight from one foot to another.

"Leonard? Penny?" He asked in a low voice, his back still turned to them.

"Yes?" They both answered simultaneously.

Sheldon pulled the key out of the lock and turned to face them.

"Thank you." He simply said, holding their gaze.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Penny said with a warm smile, mimicked by Leonard.

"Yeah, no problem. All though Penny did most of the work. I was just moral support."

And with that the trio began making their way through the hush halls of Cal Tech heading towards the parking lot.

The car ride home was an intense and silent affair. The three occupants sat in tense silence, Penny tapping her fingers against her phone's screen, Sheldon looking outside the side window without a word and Leonard kept shifting in his seat and sighing. Finally the uncomfortable silence seemed to become too much for the tiny physicist as he let out a very loud and very long sigh.

"Okay, Sheldon. So are you all set to talk to Amy?" He asked tentatively, shifting his eyes from the road to the rear view mirror, all though Sheldon had a strong suspicion that his friend was really shooting a glance in the direction of his girlfriend rather than checking for cars behind them.

Sheldon swallowed, feeling the nervousness grow from a persistent whisper to a magnificent roar at the mention of her name.

"I suppose so." He said quietly, never tearing his eyes from the window next to him.

That answer did not seem to satisfy Leonard.

"You suppose so? Sheldon, you really have to think through what you are going to say to her. You can't just go over there and say 'Hi Amy, I'm sorry.' You need to really apologize to her."

Sheldon finally shifted his gaze from the window to Leonard, his eyes determined.

"Don't you think I know that, Leonard? You know me to be very predictive person, I have given this matter a great deal of thought and I am still trying to perfect my apology." Sheldon's voice grew a little louder before he went silent and turned his eyes down to his hands.

"It's just not that easy." He then added, voice barely a whisper.

Penny sat up straight in her seat and glanced at Leonard through the rear view mirror.

"It's never easy, sweetie. Just make sure to give it all you got, okay? Really make her understand how sorry you are. Amy has been through enough already, that's the least you can do." She said with a sternness in her voice but a comforting smile on her lips.

Sheldon looked over his shoulder meeting her eyes as he felt his guilt act up again, making sure he knew it was still there. But this time something else mixed with it. It was that same feeling he had when he received Amy's text yesterday. Something was of, something wasn't right. And Penny's words seemed to trigger it. All he could do was nod at her as he slowly resumed his staring outside the window.

The rest of the ride went by in complete silence.

The trio made their way up the stairs slowly and silently. Sheldon heard Leonard and Penny mumble something behind him, but he didn't hear what they were talking about, and he didn't care. He was completely engulfed in his own thoughts as his heavy feet made their way up step after step.

As they finally made it to the fourth floor, Sheldon pulled out his key beforehand, approaching the apartment door. Behind him he heard Penny kiss Leonard goodnight as she seemed to be making her way over to her own apartment. Back still turned to them, Sheldon placed the key in the lock, deciding that this was a time to be alone.

"Leonard, why don't you stay at Penny's for a while?"

A moment of silence passed.

"You sure? Is everything all right?"

Sheldon could almost hear the frown through Leonard's voice.

"Everything is fine." And with that he stepped inside the apartment, closing the door firmly behind him.

Everything was not fine.

Something was wrong.

As Sheldon peeled of his jacket and messenger bag, Penny's words seemed to be roaming his mind.

Amy has been through enough already, that's the least you can do.

He slowly made his way to his spot, tentatively taking a seat and checking his watch.

3 more hours.

Swallowing, he tried to straighten up his mind, to get focused, to perfect every word he would say at 6 pm. Yet fear and uncertainty seemed to predominate his thoughts.

What if she didn't accept his apology?

What if everything he said was wrong?

What if she didn't forgive him?

Sighing loudly he reached for his phone in his pocket. It was too much, too scary. He needed to vent. He needed advice.

So he dialed the number for the only person he knew who could provide him with that. He brought the phone up to his ear with a steady hand.

It rang three times before she picked up.

"Hello, Moonpie! To what do I own this delightful surprise?"

Sheldon smiled involuntarily at the raspy, familiar voice.

"Hello, Meemaw."

"Oh no, she didn't?!"

Yup, I'm bringing Meemaw into play! Didn't see that one coming, huh? Are you curious? Can't wait for The Big Talk between Pasadena's favorite power couple? What do you think Meemaw will tell our little Shelly?

Well, why don't leave a review and tell me ALL about it? Pretty please with cherry on top?

If you are still reading my story and following the Shamy down this path I have made for them, then seriously. Thank you. I want to hug your face. So bad.

Until next time, my loves:

Live long and ship hard!

*Dramatic exit*