Authors Note: Something I have been forgetting to to is remind everyone that I do not own the right to these characters lest I be sued.
Penny and Leonard walk down their flight of stairs to Sheldon and Amy's apartment. They are met by Howard and Bernadette on the landing who ate walking up the stairs. The couples had agreed to switch it up and meet at each others apartments instead of always going to Sheldon and Amy's like they used to. This is their first time back at the old apartment in a couple of weeks. Penny knocks on the door of the apartment.
*knock knock knock*
"Sheldon and Amy!"
*knock knock knock*
"Sheldon and Amy!"
*knock knock knock*
"Sheldon and Amy!" she yells one last time before turning to the rest if the group and saying "You know for old times sake."
"It's open!" Amy yells tersely from inside and the gang walk through the door.
Sheldon and Amy are standing at the kitchen counter and it appears as though the two if them are having a heated debate.
"Ah Ladies I gave never been so grateful to gave you two wander into my apartment! Please talk some sense into this woman."
"Sense into Amy? are you sure it is not the other way around?" Penny asks sitting down."
"What's up, guys?" Bernadette asks confused
"Sheldon is under the misogynistic impression that I have to take his name when we get married."
"Not have to ,you should want to! What is the point of getting married if you do not want to share my name?"
"The point is that we love each other and want to share the rest of our lives together."
"Yes that is all very well and good, but traditionally throughout time the female entering into matrimony accepts the surname of the male. Besides Penny is taking Leonard's name!"
"First off we are not exactly a traditional couple and there are many things that traditional couples do that we do not. Secondly Penny hated her last name and was happy to be rid of it!"
"What was your last name anyway Penny?" Bernadette asks Penny
"My old last name is not important why do you not want to take his name Amy? Not that I object I am just curious?"
"Excellent question Penny you see, as doctor of neuroscience I have published many important papers under my name. Being a noteworthy scientist in my field I worry it will take a while to garner accolade's under my new name."
" That is perfectly reasonable Amy, and I worried about that too when I got don't you just hyphen your last name like I did with Howie's? " Bernadette suggests.
"I proposed that as a viable option and Sheldon rejected it." Amy says
"Viable option! Oh Please." Sheldon sniffs.
" Why not" Howard asks a little offended
"First of all Rostankowski-Wolowitz sounds like a law firm! Secondly whose names goes first? Is it Cooper-Fowler or Fowler-Cooper, do I hyphen my name ? Do not answer that of course I would not hyphen my name!" Sheldon says flapping his hands as if to wipe away that notion.
"Why not Sheldon? because you have worked to hard to establish your name and changing it at this point in your career would be harmful?" Amy asks.
" No because a man taking a woman's name would be silly! " with that Sheldon gets up and leaves going to his bedroom.
"Wow, Amy he us really worked up about this." Bernadette says sympathetically.
"I know, before you walked in he said the P word."
"P word? what is the P word?" Penny asks
"Poppycock" Amy sighs.
"Oooo Amy you are in trouble he never uses the P word!" Leonard says.
"I know, I really did not think he would care about it that much. When we were preparing dinner together I just brought it up casually. I was talking about a bunch of other wedding stuff. Honestly I did not even think he was listening." Amy says sadly.
"Let me go talk to him." Leonard says to Amy "You finish up in here and Howard and I will talk to Sheldon."
"Really I have to go too?" Howard moans
"Yes, Howie! Leave us alone so we can talk." Bernadette says pushing Howard forward. Leonard walks back to Sheldon's bedroom and Howard follows him reluctantly. When the guys disappear Penny asks Amy.
"What's up? I know for a fact you have a notebook in your purse with Amy Cooper, Cooper, Dr. and Dr. Cooper,and Mrs. Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper ,written all over it! I am not trying to be missguyistic or whatever, but you were dying to take his name."
"Misogynistic it means a hatred of women." Amy says.
"Whatever you are avoiding the question." Penny says.
"I understand where you are coming from completely on this name thing but it seems like you have had a change of heart." Bernadette says.
"Fine, at first I mentioned keeping name thing as a joke! I did not think he was listening to what I was saying so I said it to test him. I know how traditional he can be and that it might get to him. I did not expect him to react so strongly though! When he told me that he forbade me from even hyphenating my name something inside of me rebelled."
"So just tell him it was a joke and don't hyphenate your name." Penny says shrugging her shoulders.
"Well it started out as a joke but my argument for it is valid! I am a noted scientist it will take awhile to garner attention under my new last name. Why do you think all the famous actresses either keep their old names or hyphenate them? Just the other night he admitted to me that at times be can be controlling, that I should feel free to run things by him and not assume he will freak out. The first thing I ask him about he has a complete hissy fit about."
"What? What? Sheldon admitted that at times he was controlling? Do you realize how huge that is for him? That would be like Howard admitting he is a bad dresser!"
"Hey!" Bernadette says "It would be like Leonard admitting that he is over sensitive!"
"Come on guys let's not fight! I know how big that was for him to admit to. To be fair he was in a really good mood when he said it because we had just had sex in the shower."
"This is Sheldon we are talking about right? Penny asks stunned.
Meanwhile in Sheldon's room the guys are trying to reason with him so that he comes out of the bedroom.
" Sheldon you have not even set a date yet! Why are you so upset about this? " Leonard asks him sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Even so, I still do not see what is so bad about a hyphenated name." Howard says and Sheldon shoots him a look.
"You want to know why I am upset? I gave her my Memaw's ring who has been Mrs. Cooper for forty years. Amy was going to be the next Mrs. Cooper and then I find out she does not want to be that? Memaw did not give that ring to the future Ms. Fowler or Fowler-Cooper or Cooper-Fowler or whatever cockamamie name she comes up with." Sheldon says angrily.
"Sheldon, I am sure if you explain that to her she will understand your side. What exactly did you say to her when she told you she might not take your name." Leonard asks gently.
"I forbade her from doing it and said if that was the case we might not even bother with getting married at all." Sheldon says.
"You do not think that might have bothered her and made her upset?" Leonard says trying to advance him to a conclusion. Then they hear a knock at the door it is Amy.
"Can I come in and talk to my fiancee?" she asks as she pokes her head through the door.
"You can, if you plan on being reasonable." Sheldon says
"We will leave you two alone." Howard says and the guys walk out the door. Amy walks in and is holding a notebook in her arms, she slides it onto Sheldon's lap.
"What's this?" he asks her looking at it curiously.
"At the risk of great embarrassment to myself it is the notebook I use to jot down my lists in."
"Why would that be embarrassing? You know I find your penchant for list making to be one of your most endearing qualities." Sheldon says turning looking up at her confused.
"I know, turn it over." Sheldon turns the notebook over and the plethora of Dr. Amy Cooper's written there.
"If you thought this would help clarify anything you are wrong.I still do not understand." He says looking at her seriously.
"I started that list book before you even asked me to be your girlfriend. I have wanted to be Cooper for a long time now. I used to write that out like a lovesick teenager does with her big crush. I never thought there would ever be a possibility it would ever come true." Amy tells him.
"Then why did you tell me that you wanted to retain your maiden name? " He asks her.
"Well it started out as a joke." he gives her a look and she holds up her hands. "A bad one I know! but when you forbade me from doing it, well it upset me. It also made me think that maybe hyphenating my name would not be the worst idea." Amy says.
"Amy do you know what I said when I asked my Memaw and my Mother for that ring?" Amy shakes her head no. "I said you two have been for a long time and I would like to add another to the family." he tells her looking down at his hands and Amy looks at hers and studies the ring it is beautiful and truth is she is thrilled to be the lucky next or in her case .
"Sheldon, if it means that much to you then yes for all the world to see and on all my official documents I will be Dr. Amy Farrah Cooper. All I ask is that on any published material I use the hyphenated Fowler-Cooper as to avoid confusion from my earlier work." Sheldon looks like he is processing this. Amy studies his profile as he works the information out in his head. Amy longs to reach out and touch him but she has learned to keep her distance when he is like this.
"Alright, I agree to your terms." Sheldon says turning to her and looking her in the eye. Amy gets lost momentarily in their depth his sleepy blue eyes never failed to entrance her. Amy snaps out of it and remembers that their friends are still in the apartment.
"Good, now let's get back out there we are being rude to our guests."
They walk out and everyone was still gathered around the couch. It looks like Penny stepped in and helped preparing dinner and the table is set.
"You guys alright now?" Leonard asks. As they emerge back into the room.
"Yes" Amy finally came to her senses and agreed to take my name" Sheldon tells him. Amy shoots him a look but does not say anything at the end of the day Sheldon will always be Sheldon and she loves him quirks and all.
Authors Note: I wrote this little story as a one shot a couple months ago but never published it. I was pleasantly suprised when I found it fitting into this stories plot line. So I question whether this litty ditty should be the end or should I go on to a Lenny and Shamy wedding becuase I have ideas for both. To quote Sheldon "Thoughts?"